More Restrictions May Be Required This Winter, Says Professor Ferguson
Professor Neil Ferguson has predicted that another lockdown will not be necessary this winter but that the reintroduction of some forms of restrictions will be.
Professor Neil Ferguson has predicted that another lockdown will not be necessary this winter but that the reintroduction of some forms of restrictions will be.
While a new survey suggests that more than half of Brits believe the worst of the pandemic is behind us, 49% of respondents also say they believe there will be further lockdowns.
Lockdowns represent a radical departure from conventional forms of pandemic management. So where did 'The Science' of lockdown come from? It's a story that involves Italy, the WHO and our old friend Neil Ferguson.
The Prime Minister and his wife have been accused of breaking lockdown rules last Christmas by having a friend at Number 10 while other Londoners were told not to mix with different households.
The House of Commons’ report says that our first lockdown “should have come sooner”. But it ignores the risks of postponing the epidemic. Many countries that missed the first wave got hit even harder in the second.
The new parliamentary report on Covid repeats the claim that locking down a week earlier would have saved tens of thousands of lives. This is contradicted by the data which shows infections peaking before lockdown.
Last month saw one of the first public debates about the lockdown policy. It was hosted by the Modern Review and the sceptics won a thundering victory. You can now watch the debate on YouTube.
Researchers analysed data from eight countries, and found a consistent gender difference in attitudes to lockdown, with women being more pro-lockdown. This is despite the fact that COVID-19 is more lethal in men.
The fallacy of 'politician's logic' was popularised by the much-loved British sitcom Yes, Prime Minister. And it seems to explain lockdown: 'Something must be done; lockdown is something; therefore we must do it.'
Restrictions are gone in the private sector, but in the public sector, where more customers just brings in more work rather than more money, there is conspicuously little rush to return to normal.
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