If the virus continues to spread thanks to the planned easing of the mask requirement and distance rules, millions of people would be infected and hundreds of thousands risked long-term illnesses and permanent disabilities.
The easing planned for July 19 would have to be postponed, the experts demanded in the letter published by the specialist journal “The Lancet” on Thursday night. The British government is planning to lift all remaining corona rules in the largest part of England. Then night clubs should also reopen, there is no longer any participant limit for events. The final decision is expected to be made on July 12th.
Video: Pöcksteiner (ORF) about the planned openings in the UK
The experts warned that the strategy prepared fertile ground for the emergence of vaccine-resistant variants. “This would endanger everyone, including those already vaccinated, within the UK and around the world,” it said. “This strategy risks leaving a generation with chronic health problems and disabilities whose personal and economic effects could be felt for decades to come,” said the letter, which was signed by a total of 122 professionals. Especially people with chronic diseases, young people, children and the unvaccinated run the risk of permanent consequential damage.
The British Ministry of Health emphasized: “Our approach (…) finds a balance with the need to protect both life and livelihood.”
