Coronavirus UK: Ex-WHO chief predicts life back to normal in May - but issues key warning
CORONAVIRUS protective measures could start being eased off in early May, former World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Prof Karol Sikora forecasted as he warned social distancing measures will need to be strictly observed for normality to return.
Coronavirus: Expert predicts when ‘UK can get back to normal’
The coronavirus pandemic has struck more than 22,000 people across the UK and caused 1,408 deaths so far. Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week declared a lockdown while urging Britons to stay home in a bid to help slow down the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. Former World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Prof Karol Sikora warned the worst of the pandemic is likely to hit around Easter Monday but predicted the UK will be likely to start going back to normal in early May if all citizens pull together and obey social distancing rules for the next few weeks.
Speaking to talkRADIO, Prof Sikora said: "We’re going through rough times, and we’ve just got to keep up the social distancing. I can’t tell you how helpful it is, to flatten that curve.
"But once that’s over, once we’ve gotten to the peak around Easter Monday – it will be horrible, there will be a lot of death - gradually it will get better.
"If the antibody tests can be rolled out in the next week or two, we may have a group of people who could be immune and could go back to work, they can go see granny and all the rest of it."
The former top WHO official continued: "And we can gradually get back to normal at the end of the month, beginning of May - to the relief of many. That’s a feasible scenario.
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"The Government has to paint the doom and gloom picture of September, October even but that’s doom and gloom.
"As long as we keep up the social distancing now, however it is implemented by the police, we will end up in a much better place after Easter than we are today."
Deputy Chief Scientific Official Dr Jenny Harries announced lockdown measures will be reviewed every three weeks as she warned the UK is not expected to get back to normality for three to six months.
Dr Harries said: "If we are successful, we will have squashed the top of that curve, which is brilliant, but we must not then suddenly revert to our normal way of living.
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"That would be quite dangerous. If we stop, then all of our efforts will be wasted and we could potentially see a second peak.
“We need to keep that lid on and then gradually we will be able to hopefully adjust some of the social distancing measures and gradually get us all back to normal."
She continued: "So I think three weeks for review.
"Two or three months to see whether we’ve really squashed it, with about three to six months ideally, and lots of uncertainty in that, but then to see at which point we can actually get back to normal.
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“It is plausible that it could go further than that.”
The Labour Party has urged the Prime Minister to shut down all non-essential workplaces.
In a letter to Mr Johnson, shadow Employment Rights Secretary Rachael Maskell said thousands of people have lodged complaints about having to turn up to work in unsafe environments.
Ms Maskell said: “I urge you to introduce strict and enforceable closure of all non-essential workplaces, ensuring that all workers' lives are protected until it is safe for business to resume according to safe working practices.”