UK Medical Chief Urges Government To Consider Returning Some COVID-19 Measures

LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th October, 2021) The head of the UK National Health Service (NHS) Confederation, Matthew Taylor, said on Wednesday that the government should reintroduce some anti-Covid-19 measures such as mandatory mask wearing in crowded places, work from home and a ban on unnecessary indoor gatherings as hospitals are on the edge of being overwhelmed ahead of winter.

"The question is, is it better to act early or do we wait for things to get worse and possibly risk having to take more severe measures," Taylor told Sky news broadcaster.

The medical chief said that all health leaders he has spoken to told him that their hospitals are "right on the edge" following a steady increase in coronavirus cases and deaths over the last few weeks.

"If we don't act now, already we're in a situation where it is likely in two or three weeks that things are going to be worse, that's why we need to act immediately," he stressed.

The warning comes as the UK reported on Tuesday 223 COVID-19 deaths, the highest daily mortality toll since March, and over 40,000 new cases for two weeks in a row.

However, business minister Kwasi Kwarteng ruled out reimposing the restrictions that were lifted in July, and stressed that the government is relying on the vaccination campaign to cope with the situation.

"What we want to do is manage the situation as it is. We don't want to go back into lockdown and further restrictions," he told Sky News.

So far, over 45.4 million people aged 12 and over are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in the UK, but according to the Department of Health and Social Care, 7,749 COVID-19 patients are currently in hospital.