Covid: Health chiefs warn to prepare for a second wave

The "one-metre plus" guidance will replace the two-metre rule. Thus health leaders alerted about necessity to take action to face a second wave of Covid.

Health chiefs alterted about the necessity to do some urgent action to face second wave of Covid-19 outbreak over the winter. The aim is to prevent more deaths and protect the economy’s country amid the fears.

Health leaders about the risk of a Covid-19 second wave

This happened after the UK PM, Boris Johnson anticipated an easing of lockdown in England. The “one-metre plus” would substitute the two-metre social-distancing.

This new guidance would allow pubs, restaurants, hotels and cinemas to reopen from July 4.

The health leaders wrote an open letter and ask for a “rapid and forward-looking assessment” of the state of national preparedness in the event of a renewed flare-up. They claimed: “While the future shape of the pandemic in the UK is hard to predict, the available evidence indicates that local flare ups are increasingly likely and a second wave a real risk.”

“Many elements of the infrastructure needed to contain the virus are beginning to be put in place, but substantial challenges remain.

The job now is not only to deal with the wide-ranging impacts of the first phase of the pandemic, but to ensure that the country is really prepared to contain a second phase“, they added. They proposed the creation of a cross-party commission with a “constructive, non-partisan, four nations approach,” to develop practical recommendations .

The government have announced that the temporary Nightingale Hospitals will remain on standby over the next months. This should prevents the emergency for NHS in case of new Covid-19 outbreaks. Prof Whitty was “absolutely critical” about the continued observation social-distancing rule. In order to top the spread of the disease when it was impossible to stay two metres apart. He expected the virus to be in the UK until at least the spring of 2021. Then he added that if people returned to their normal patterns of behaviour “we will get an uptick for sure“.

The “one-metre plus” rule

Sir Patrick, Government’s chief scientific adviser alerted that the risk are present, in spite of the reduced numbers. The hospitality sector heartily received the easing of the two-metre rule. Also claiming that many pubs, cafes and restaurants would close if it remained in place. Hairdressers, barbers, cinemas, museums and art galleries in England are also preparing to reopen from July 4.

The businesses have put in place measures such as the use of face coverings, increased hygiene or layout changes in premises. Those reflected the new guidance of the “one-metre plus”. On Wednesday, the Government may announce a detailed sector-by-sector guidance expliciting how businesses can safely re-open.