Dr Hilary, 67, was on hand to offer more expertise on Good Morning Britain on Friday ahead of his break from the show. With reports emerging Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 55, is going to reverse his decision for employees to work from home in order to boost the economy, the medical expert wasn’t completely convinced by the notion. Indeed, the GP warned workers returning to the office could increase the probability of a disastrous second wave of coronavirus sending the UK back into a nationwide lockdown. Joining hosts Adil Ray, 46, and Charlotte Hawkins, 45, the television doctor made his views on the news very clear.
The medical expert said: “It’s about testing and monitoring the virus in the population and how it’s affecting the population.
“Hospitals are still busy and I think if people can work from home, it makes sense, because the more people who mingle, the less social distancing you have.
“When you have a pandemic, the more infection you’re going to see, and the more impact that’s going to have on health services.
“I think a gradual return to work is understandable, but I think since people have found that working from home is practical and is doable, it makes sense to do this very gradually and not rush into it.”
It wasn’t just the news about employees returning to the office which concerned Dr Hilary as he also spoke about the sudden easing of lockdown measures.
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“If you look around us over the last few weeks, you can see a gradual busying of the roads again,” the GP added.
“There are more cars on the road, there are more people using public transport. Whilst it’s happened fairly gradually if we all rush back now and there are millions of people who are still working from home…
“If there’s too much of a rush, we’re going to get into trouble and we’re going to see a second wave, and that’s what we need to avoid,” he stressed.
Currently, the Government’s policy on those who can work from home should remain in place since it was implemented on March 23.
Taking to Twitter in light of Dr Hilary’s comments, one viewer wrote: “Agree #AskDrH @WHO described COVID as x10 deadlier than any virus experienced since 1918.
“While this is still the case it’s crazy for anyone to discuss herd immunity. I’m suspicious it’s the same crowd who didn’t agree with the 1st lockdown saying this trying to prevent a 2nd!”
Another added on the social media platform: “@DrHilaryJones should be health secretary, @MattHancock is an absolute joke.”
“Got on the bus yesterday and only 3 out of around 10 wearing masks. Driver didn’t bother if they had them or not. There is no control so expect that second wave soon!” a third commented.
Of course, this will be at the employer’s discretion and with the security the workplace is suitable to ensure workers safety.
This news comes just days after it was announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, 41, face masks would become mandatory to wear in shops as well as on public transport.
The new rules will come into play July 24, with the measures being implemented to stop the spread of coronavirus whilst allowing businesses to resume working practices.
Latest figures reveal the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in the UK now stands at over 293,000 with 45,129 fatalities having been recorded across all sectors since the end of February.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.