{"id":1444,"date":"2020-03-12T19:56:36","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T19:56:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewitnessexet.wpengine.com\/?p=1444"},"modified":"2020-10-30T18:56:23","modified_gmt":"2020-10-30T18:56:23","slug":"understanding-the-uk-governments-response-to-the-covid-19-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewitnessexeter.co.uk\/?p=1444","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the UK governments response to the COVID-19 outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>6 Minute, 3 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n

Citizens of the UK\nhave watched on as their European neighbours have taken seemingly drastic\nmeasures to halt the spread of COVID-19, with Italy on total lockdown, schools closing\nacross the continent and travel to the US restricted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many are wondering\nwhy the UK, with 590 cases at the time of writing, has not taken equally\nradical measures in order to stop the outbreak of the virus. The UK government\nis not foolhardy and have made their strategy very clear. Whilst shutting\nschools, closing borders and quarantining the country may seem like the correct\napproach on paper, it would more than likely do more harm than good at this\nmoment in time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UK is taking a\nscientific approach to effectively managing the outbreak, acknowledging the\ncapacity of its public services. They are not enacting measures such as\nmeaningless foreign travel bans that are reactionary and save face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As outlined in a press conference this afternoon, PM Boris Johnson, the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Advisor outlined that the key to understanding the correct approach to tackling a viral outbreak is this graph. In order to flatten the curve, people must be taking personal precautionary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Vox<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The black line\ndetails where we currently are at this stage of the outbreak, with the\ngovernment making no secrets that the number of infections will increase, stating\nthat they believe between 5,000 and 10,000 people in the UK are already\ninfected. In terms of the government\u2019s response however, they asserted that the\ntiming of <\/strong>responses is crucial in mitigating other knock-on effects would\nworsen the situation unnecessarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chief Medical Officer\nstressed that measures should not be taken in advance of need whilst we are\nstill in the early stages of the outbreak, responses must be timed in\naccordance with the graph. An important thing to note is that the government\nhas said that eventually<\/strong>, measures such as enforced isolation, the\nclosing of schools and banning of mass gatherings will <\/strong>occur in the\ncoming weeks, but they are not necessary at this moment in time. We will go\nthrough the reasons, as detailed by the experts, as to why taking premature\nmeasures could cause unintended effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quarantine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The outbreak is\nprojected to last between 13-16 weeks, and the government have decided not to introduce\nmass quarantine and social distancing at this early stage. The outbreak is now\nat a point where it cannot be contained simply by introducing these measures,\nhence why we have moved out of the \u2018containment\u2019 phase and into the \u2018delay\u2019 phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If drastic measures\nare taken too early, the population will become fatigued with self-isolation\nand quarantine measures. Whilst people may be enthusiastic to contain the virus\nin these early stages, by the time the peak has come, (which could be weeks or\nmonths away). Discipline with self-isolation and social distancing will wane if\nthe measures are taken too early and this period of measurement implementation\nis too long. The key is to make sure the enthusiasm and morale of the public is\nat its peak, when the rate of infection is at its peak, and not prematurely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the most\nvulnerable, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions are forced\nto self-isolate or socially distance themselves too early, then this could have\nprofound effects on their lives. This includes increasing loneliness<\/a>\ndramatically were they to be isolated from society for months on end, which will\ncause a social depression, not just an economic one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foreign Travel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Trump\u2019s decision<\/a>\nto halt all travel from Europe (bar the UK) has already received a damning response\nfrom the international community. It is seen as an act that merely saves face\nin the wake of his blas\u00e9 response to the pandemic. The UK government has, so\nfar, moved away from reactionary responses that would, on the face of it, calm\nthe public and make it seem as though they were taking decisive action, yet have\nlittle practical effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A statistic that\nseemed to shock the journalists in the room was cited by the Chief Scientific Adviser\nwas that if the UK had stopped flights from China at the beginning of the\noutbreak, even if it had had a 95% effect, it only would have delayed the\noutbreak by a day or two. A more realistic target would have been a 50% effect,\nwhich would have had minimal effects. The UK government is trying to mitigate\nthe effects on the lives of its citizens in this early stage of the pandemic,\nand not taking measures that will damage the economy whilst not actively slowing\nthe rate of infection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chief Medical Officer\naffirmed that it is no longer relevant where someone has come from, and whilst travel\nrestrictions may ensue depending on future developments, it is not yet necessary\nto impose these restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schools and\nUniversities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the event of any\ncrises or even poor weather, the first institution to close are schools.\nSchools are seen as a site in which people are in close contact and effectively\nattending mass, dynamic gatherings every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in the case of the COVID-19 outbreak, the case is rather different. Firstly, the rate of infection amongst young people is exceedingly low, with no recorded cases<\/a> of death amongst 4,600 being under the age of 9. Young people are still prone to the virus; however, it is often far less severe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chief Scientific Adviser stresses that closing schools prematurely could have an adverse effect on containing the virus, he stated that \u201cthe chances of stopping kids from being in contact with each other for 13-16 weeks is practically zero\u201d with children not at school, they will likely stay with relatives, play on the street and not be at school in the day. From this, there is more likelihood they could come into contact with the elderly as they may go and stay with grandparents or relatives, and indivertibly cause an increased rate of infection before the peak has been reached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UK has taken a\ndifferent approach to most countries, yet it is imperative to believe that the government\nhas our best interests at hand. The government has stressed it is important not\nto implement measures that sound sensible, yet have little effect on the containment\nof the virus, rather are extremely damaging to other issues. Measures such as\nTrump\u2019s travel ban are preposterous and are blatantly an attempt to save face,\nand whilst this may sound harsh, why would one ban travel from Europe, yet\nexclude the UK? It is illogical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst I have\nfrequently used the words infection, quarantine and other terms that may sound\nalarming, I highly recommend you watch the press conference held this afternoon\nhere<\/a>, it\nwill put your mind at ease and help you understand why the government is acting\nin the manner that it is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The response is\nbased on science rather than impulse. Especially in the case of a health crisis,\nit is imperative to put political posturing aside and do what is right for the\ncountry, not for one\u2019s political ambitions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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