According to a recent poll, if the Government were to introduce ‘Plan B’ restrictions, 58% of the British public would support vaccine passport measures that would prohibit the unvaccinated from attending certain venues, such as restaurants. In addition, 33% back an Austria-style lockdown of the unvaccinated. The Sunday Times has the story.
Perhaps the real question is: has Britain made up its mind? For all the talk of ‘following the data’, Covid curbs are political decisions. And there is growing evidence that tougher Covid rules would not sit comfortably with the public.
At the start of the pandemic just 13% of people would rather protect the economy than limit the spread of the virus. By last week that was 36%.
At the same time, the number wanting to limit the spread has fallen from 74% to 42%. Despite weeks of headlines of NHS pressures, the gap between the two has shrunk since September.
“As Europe brings in Covid restrictions and some argue for the U.K. to follow, the British public are responding with something of a shrug and are broadly content with the status quo,” said James Johnson, who carried out the polling for Kekst CNC.
If Johnson did decide to introduce ‘Plan B’, it might not be unpopular: 58% would support banning unvaccinated people from bars, restaurants and other public venues unless they had a negative test. Yet Britain would draw the line at Austria-style measures, with just 33% wanting to lock down the unjabbed.
Amid rising European rates, the British public remains optimistic: 48% expect the NHS to cope well this winter, compared with 41% who say it will do badly. That could change if admissions surge, but with each booster shot, a winter of discontent becomes less likely.
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