Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Sep 06, 2025

"Strategy... Actually Murderous": Experts Slam UK Over End To Covid Curbs

"Strategy... Actually Murderous": Experts Slam UK Over End To Covid Curbs

Coronavirus: From Monday -- dubbed "Freedom Day" by some media -- the UK government will lift most restrictions on public gatherings in England and allow businesses to reopen.

The UK government's plan to scrap day-to-day pandemic restrictions in England next week has no basis in science and amounts to premeditated murder for thousands of people, scientists warned on Friday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this week it was "highly probable" the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is over as he pressed ahead with Monday's reopening, despite the Delta variant spreading out of control.

The step is justified by two-thirds of all UK adults now being fully vaccinated, he said, but England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned that infection rates are on track to reach "quite scary" levels.

After convening for an emergency discussion about the UK plan, international scientists including advisers to other governments had brutal words for Johnson.

"I've written that I believe that the strategy of herd immunity is actually murderous," US scientist William Haseltine said.

"It is knowledge that you are doing something that will result in thousands, and in some cases tens of thousands of people dying. It is a disaster as a policy," he added.

The UK government denies it is pursuing a policy of "herd immunity" by letting the Delta variant let rip, but concedes that daily infection rates could triple to 100,000 in the weeks ahead, adding to strains on hospitals.

"I don't think we should underestimate the fact that we could get into trouble again surprisingly fast," Whitty said on Thursday, urging the public "to take things incredibly slowly" as restrictions ease.

From Monday -- dubbed "Freedom Day" by some media -- the government will lift most restrictions on public gatherings in England and allow businesses such as nightclubs to reopen.

Mandates covering face masks and work from home will be lifted as Johnson promotes a new approach of personal responsibility, although he has also urged people not to "throw caution to the winds".

'Pingdemic'


The devolved governments of Scotland and Wales set their own health policy and will keep in place a legal requirement to wear face coverings in enclosed spaces such as shops and on public transport. Northern Ireland looks set to follow them.

The foreign scientists attending Friday's online meeting warned that England was falling out of step not just with its neighbours in the UK but with the rest of the world.

The meeting was organised by the authors of a protest letter published by medical journal The Lancet last week that originally carried 122 signatories.

Another 1,400 scientists have since added their names.

"In New Zealand we've always looked to the UK for leadership," said Michael Baker, professor of public health at the University of Otago in Dunedin.

"You have a remarkable depth of scientific knowledge. You've done remarkably well in vaccine development and roll-out. Remarkable clinical trials that we're drawing on," he said.

"And that's why it just seems so remarkable that you're not following even basic public health principles here."

Professor Chiou Shu-Ti, former head of Taiwan's Health Promotion Administration, said she was "very concerned" that younger age groups and clinically vulnerable people were left exposed by the UK plan.

"In our culture there is a saying that it is unethical to take the umbrella away from people while it's still raining," Chiou said.

"And it's actually raining very hard. So I hope the politicians can take that into consideration, to keep the umbrella there for those people not having a raincoat."

The surge in infections sweeping Britain led to more than 530,000 people being instructed to self-isolate by a government-run app in the week to July 7, the highest total since January, according to latest data.

Some companies such as carmaker Nissan have been losing staff en masse after they were pinged by the app -- in a brewing crisis described by media as a "pingdemic".

Butchers, another industry hit hard, have even warned of national meat shortages unless the app is made less sensitive.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
×