Sajid Javid was self-isolating on Saturday after testing positive for Covid, as senior public health leaders from across the UK accused Boris Johnson today of “letting Covid rip” by relaxing legal restrictions.
The health secretary, who is fully vaccinated, said he had mild symptoms and confirmed the result of a lateral flow test with a positive PCR test. “I will continue to isolate and work from home,” he tweeted.
It creates a headache for the prime minister. Under test and trace rules, anybody who has been in contact with Javid in the previous 48 hours should self-isolate. Johnson is believed to have met the health secretary in Downing Street on Friday. That would leave the prime minister in the uncomfortable position of spending so-called “freedom day” stuck inside No 10.
Johnson may be able to avoid isolation if he has been taking part in a pilot system that allows people to work by taking a daily test. Last week it was revealed that staff at three government departments had signed up to the pilot scheme. However, Johnson risks being accused of double standards as the government continues to urge the public to isolate if they are told to do so.
Use of the scheme by officials also risks angering Conservative MPs opposed to the isolation rules. There have already been calls from Tories to expand the scheme, warning that allowing ministers to use it would create a perception of a “them and us” system.
Doctors and MPs said Javid’s positive test, despite his double vaccination, highlighted the additional risk to the 32% of adults and all children who had not had both inoculations.
But last night the Sunday Telegraph reported that most children will not be offered a vaccine. Children aged 12 to 15 deemed vulnerable to Covid-19, or who live with adults who are vulnerable, will be eligible, it said. The Department of Health and Social Care said no decisions had yet been made.
Another 54,674 new cases of Covid-19 were announced on Saturday, confirming that numbers are back to levels last seen in January. A further 41 Covid deaths were also announced.
There has been widespread dismay from public health officials at the prime minister’s claim that people must “learn to live” with Covid and “exercise their personal responsibility”.
In a letter to the Observer, all four of the UK’s independent public health bodies warn: “Living with Covid-19 is not the same thing as letting it rip. We should proceed carefully, not recklessly … The government must promote effective public health measures because personal responsibility will not be enough.”
Senior NHS figures are among those wanting Johnson and other leading ministers to do far more to stress the need to continue following guidance such as mask-wearing in crowded indoor settings.
Some are threatening to speak out if more is not done, fearing that Monday’s lifting of legal social contact restrictions will encourage many to return to their pre-pandemic behaviour.
Dozens of the UK’s leading cancer charities joined forces to make a powerful joint plea to the public to keep taking measures that will help protect those most vulnerable to the virus.
The letter from the public health experts states: “Nobody wants endless cycles of legal restrictions and lockdowns, but the idea that we should be relaxed about rising case numbers is wrong and damaging to public health.”
Helping people to isolate if they have the virus is a vital tool for limiting Covid’s spread, they say, as well as wearing face masks indoors, socialising outdoors in preference to indoors, working from home, opening windows and washing hands.
While guidance remains to wear masks and socially distance in hospitals, NHS chiefs are warning that staff are already being confronted by people refusing to wear masks or maintain a safe distance. Some trusts said they had been dealing with non-compliance even before the end of restrictions.
Many trusts were this weekend engaging in public campaigns calling for the public to continue to obey social distancing rules in their buildings. Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers, called for the prime minister to step in. “We need the prime minister, ministers, and national NHS leaders to step up to the plate and say why the NHS needs to retain these restrictions – to protect vulnerable patients – and there will be zero tolerance of people who either don’t follow those rules or abuse staff,” he said.
Unions representing retail staff also made a plea to the prime minister to keep mask-wearing and social distancing in place in higher-risk settings. Paddy Lillis, general secretary of the shopworkers’ union Usdaw, said: “It’s not the role of our members to enforce rules. We welcome retailers continuing with safety measures, but that’s down to the goodwill of the public. We think [Monday] will make the situation much worse.”
Meanwhile, clinicians across the country told the Observer they were already facing huge pressures as rising Covid cases combined with huge levels of emergency admissions, reduced NHS capacity and a staffing shortage fuelled by a refusal to relax Covid isolation rules for health service staff.
A government spokesperson said ministers were looking closely at the issue. They said restrictions were being loosened because the vaccine programme had weakened the link between cases and hospitalisations.
The spokesperson added: “The pandemic is not over and we should continue to move cautiously. Extensive guidance is in place setting out the measures people and businesses should consider to keep themselves and others safe, including keeping spaces well ventilated.
“From Monday, it will be up to organisations to set their own policy on face coverings. We will continue to provide the public, businesses, transport operators and other organisations with guidance on when people should consider wearing a face covering, and we recommend that people wear one in crowded and enclosed places, as they do already.”