Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Aug 29, 2025

Covid: Home working likely to be best way to curb virus - scientists

Covid: Home working likely to be best way to curb virus - scientists

Advising people to work from home is likely to have the most impact on stopping Covid spreading this winter, scientists advising the government say.

Stricter virus restrictions should now be prepared for "rapid deployment", the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said.

It said "presenteeism" - or pressure to be in work - could become an increasing cause of infections in workplaces.

Asked about working from home, the PM said all measures were under review.

Boris Johnson added: "We do whatever we have to do to protect the public but the numbers that we're seeing at the moment are fully in line with what we expected in the autumn and winter plan."

Ministers in England are resisting calls to switch to their winter Plan B that would see measures like compulsory face coverings in certain places.

Covid hospital admissions and deaths across the UK are rising slowly, and the UK has recorded over 40,000 new daily Covid cases for the past ten days.

On Friday, a further 49,298 coronavirus cases were reported in the UK, alongside 180 new deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

Around 8,238 patients who have tested positive were in hospital as of Thursday, 892 of whom were in beds capable of ventilation.

Any advice to work from home would only apply to those who are able to do their job away from the workplace.

In April 2020, at the height of the first pandemic lockdown, less than half of people in employment, some 46.6%, did some work at home, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In minutes of a meeting of scientific advisers on 14 October, published on Friday, they warn that acting earlier rather than later could reduce the need for stricter measures over a longer timeframe "to avoid an unacceptable level of hospitalisations".

They added that any measures introduced must be clearly communicated.

The advisers, led by Sir Patrick Vallance, say models forecasting the coming winter suggest Covid hospital admissions are "increasingly unlikely" to rise above the levels of January 2021 peak.

But they say they are unsure of the impact of "waning immunity and people's behaviour".


There has been a noticeable dip in people saying they are wearing face coverings and latest figures from the ONS suggest more than half of British working adults are now travelling to work.

Sage says making face coverings compulsory in some places is likely to help reduce the spread of Covid as well as other winter viruses, such as flu.

It also notes the risks of high levels of the virus circulating in the UK, compared with other countries.

"Cases and admissions are currently at much higher levels than in European comparators, which have retained additional measures and have greater vaccine coverage, especially in children," the scientists say.

"Reducing prevalence from a high level requires greater intervention than reducing from a lower level."

Another worry is the emergence of a new variant that becomes "dominant globally", which they call "a very real possibility".

The great Plan B debate for England

The great Plan B debate for England has moved up another gear.

Demands for more widespread mask wearing, more working from home and vaccine passports have been growing - with the NHS Confederation and the British Medical Association throwing their weight behind measures which the government has branded its Plan B.

Members of the expert committee Sage, according to minutes of recent meetings, seem to favour acting sooner rather than later - "earlier intervention may reduce the need for more stringent, disruptive and longer-lasting measures".

They pointedly note that cases are much lower in European countries which have tougher rules on masks and vaccine passports.

Boris Johnson said all measures were being kept under review but the focus was still on getting more people vaccinated.

The government then is resisting pressure for Plan B in England.

But the notably more cautious tone from Health Secretary Sajid Javid recently suggests that the views of official experts and advisers are having an impact.

The advisers warn that the prospect of people being infected with Covid, flu and other respiratory viruses this winter could be "a significant challenge".

They say people who show symptoms of an infection should stay at home to stop it spreading to others.

This message needs to come from government, employers, universities and schools to be most effective, they say.

One in 55 people in England was infected with coronavirus in the week ending 16 October, according to latest estimates from the ONS - more than at any time since the end of January.

Infections continue to fall in Scotland, and remain flat in Wales and Northern Ireland.



The percentage of people testing positive remained highest for those in school years seven to 11, the ONS estimates showed, ahead of half term for many pupils in England.

In the week ending 16 October, 7.8% of people in that age group were infected - compared to less than 2% of people in all older age groups.

Official government data, which tracks people testing positive, shows that nearly 1,000 people a day are being admitted to UK hospitals with Covid and more than 8,000 in total are in hospital with the illness.

These figures are way below where they were in January because of protection from the vaccines, but doctors and health leaders have voiced concerns over the lack of curbs to control any further rises.

When Mr Johnson was asked on Friday whether a full lockdown, with "stay at home" advice and shops closing, was out of the question this winter, he replied: "I've got to tell you at the moment that we see absolutely nothing to indicate that that's on the cards at all."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×