Boris being ‘irresponsible’ over Covid freedoms warns expert - ‘Wrong and risky!’
BORIS JOHNSON has been branded "irresponsible" over the end of England's coronavirus lockdown.
UK records highest coronavirus deaths since March
Monday saw an end to legal mandates on social distancing and face coverings, with the Prime Minister saying "Freedom Day" had to take place in a press briefing. But Professor Anthony Glees, intelligence and security expert at Buckingham University, has blasted ending lockdown rules as “wrong and risky”.
The professor shared his doubts about the Prime Minister’s Covid strategy, and pointed out there have already been many other "freedom days" for Britain.
He said: “The choice to reopen is wrong and risky and indicates, once again, that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is ready to bet on people's lives without worrying about the deaths that could be avoided.
“Restrictions were already lifted, for the first time, in mid-July last year, after the first lockdown that began in March, and then again in December 2020, after the removal of the second lockdown introduced in November.
“And these freedom days were followed by new waves of Covid. Boris Johnson had promised that, this time, he would decide on the basis of data and not dates.
“That is, he would look at the number of infections and vaccinations before making a final decision on openings, but that's not what's happening."
READ MORE: Boris on the brink: Senior backbencher threatens to overthrow PM
Speaking to Italian news outlet Avvenire, Prof Glees noted experts who have railed against Mr Johnson ending restrictions.
He told the website: “Experts, who are against the removal of restrictions, predict that we will reach 100,000 infected.
“Even if the number of deaths and resuscitation patients remains low, the impact on the life of the country will be devastating.”
The expert then said England could have waiting one more month to ensure “30 percent more of the population would be protected and, perhaps, we would be able to achieve herd immunity”.
He said: “There is no reason to open now. It is reasonable to wait another month."
In a press briefing, delivered while self-isolating in Chequers on Monday, the Prime Minister defended the move out of lockdown for England.
He said: “there comes a point when restrictions no longer prevent hospitalisations and deaths, but simply delay the inevitable.
“And so we have to ask ourselves the question: if not now, when?
“Though both hospitalisations and deaths are sadly rising, these numbers are well within the margins of what our scientists predicted at the outset of the roadmap.
“And so it is right to proceed cautiously in the way that we are.”
DON'T MISS...
July 19 saw 46,558 new cases and 96 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test in the UK.
In total, the UK has seen 5,519,602 cases and 128,823 deaths from the virus.
As of July 19, 4,567 patients are currently in hospital and 611 are on ventilation.
Another 35,670 first doses and 143,560 second doses of coronavirus vaccine were administered on Monday.
In total, 46,349,709 first doses and 36,243,287 second doses have been administered, equalling 88 percent and 68.8 percent of the population respectively.
Additional reporting from Maria Ortega.