UK: Boris Johnson govt accused of being 'willfully negligent' towards COVID-19

Britain’s doctors’ union has lambasted the Boris Johnson administration of being “willfully negligent” in handling the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday, British Medical Association (BMA) said that the administration has taken “its a foot off the brake, giving the impression that the pandemic is behind us and that life has returned to normal.” Notably, the remarks came as Downing Street refused to introduce new mitigation measures asserting that infections were under the “parameters of predictions.” 

"It is willfully negligent of the Westminster Government not to be taking any further action to reduce the spread of infection, such as mandatory mask-wearing, physical distancing and ventilation requirements in high-risk settings, particularly indoor crowded spaces," it said, adding "These are measures that are the norm in many other nations."

“It’s vital that the Government does everything to ensure it is made as simple and easy as possible for people to receive their booster, or even their first and second jab, especially in groups where uptake is lower. However, relying on the vaccination program alone without other measures will not be sufficient to prevent rising infection rates, illness and deaths, given that no vaccine is 100% effective," BMA further stated. 

Despite a very successful vaccination campaign, the UK continues to detect new mutations of SARS-CoV-2 with the most recent being theAY4.2 sub-variant. On Thursday, health officials recorded a total of 52,000 COVID positive cases along with 115 deaths. According to official statistics, at least 49,554,407 people have received 1st dose while 45,460,122 people are completely vaccinated. 

_{[Image: UK Govt]}

Meanwhile, the British PM has overruled the possibilities of implementing its ‘Plan B’ which could have seen the introduction of vaccine passports. “We are sticking to our plan,’ Boris Johnson told reporters in London adding while the numbers were high, they were within “parameters of predictions”. 

NHS calls for plan B

UK NHS Confederation Chief Executive Matthew Taylor recently urged the government to bring back certain measures, including mandatory face coverings in public places, in a bid to prevent the nation “stumbling into a winter crisis”. While speaking to SkyNews, Taylor noted that Downing Street is keeping a "very close eye" on the COVID situation in the country. However, he added that immediate action was still required to prevent the NHS from stumbling into a crisis where the elective care recovery would be jeopardized.

Image: AP