By Tony O’Riley-
The British government is considering moving from coronavirus being a pandemic to endemic, after Michael Gove confirmed that “pressure on the NHS and on vital public services is abating“.
Statements from the British government are hardly trusted given the track record of U turns in the past with respect to lockdowns and restrictions, but the announcement made will come as good news to the hospitality sector and the aviation industry, both of which have endured huge losses during lockdowns and restrictions in the Uk.
Speaking on Sky News, the Housing Secretary said: “We are moving to a situation – we’re not there yet – but we are moving to a situation where it is possible to say that we can live with Covid and that the pressure on the NHS and on vital public services is abating.
“But it is absolutely vital that we are not there yet. As the Health Secretary has said, there will be some difficult weeks ahead.”
Asked about reports that the Chancellor, among others, wants to see the self-isolation period reduced from seven days to five, Mr Gove said: “We always keep these things under review, and the most important thing I think is to ensure that we are in a position to protect the NHS and to protect public services.”
Mr Gove added described the UK as having “one of the most open regimes, one of the most liberal approaches” to Covid-19.
Britain’s most liberal approach to the pandemic has been in the past few weeks where calls for another national lockdown and stricter restrictions have been resisted, partly due to the threat of a rebellion from parliamentary backbenchers , but also falling rates of cases., and perhaps recent revelation of exaggerated hospitalization rates of the omicron variant.
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said it is “too early to say” when the pandemic will move to being endemic, following “early signs” that cases and hospital admissions in England are starting to fall.
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi also told Sky’s Trevor Philips on Sunday: “I hope we will be one of the first major economies to demonstrate o the world how you transition from pandemic to endemic.
“And then deal with this however long it remains with us, whether that’s five six, seven, 10 years.”
But scientists have disputed this, saying a virus “isn’t endemic just because a government minister says it is”.
The news comes after it was revealed that the Omicron and Delta variants had merged in a so-called recombination event — when two variants infect a patient to produce a new viral offspring.
It has now been suggested that fragments of Omicron were accidentally inserted into Delta’s genetic make-up during sequencing to identify a Covid variant infection. This is a common error that can occur in any laboratory, said Aris Katzourakis, a professor of evolution and genomics at Oxford University.
Boris Johnson confirmed that the government was considering cutting the period of self-isolation from seven to five days after Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, said the move would help ease pressure on schools and hopsitals.
The prime minister said: “We are looking at that and we will act according to the science.”