Original title: Britain insists on “unblocking” England and about 1,200 scientists from around the world jointly oppose it
Data released by the British government on the 18th showed that there were 48,161 new confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in a single day. While the number of new cases is still high, the British government insists that the English region will be “unblocked” as planned on the 19th, causing continued concern.
The number of newly diagnosed cases of new coronary pneumonia in the UK in a single day exceeded 40,000 on the 14th of this month, and it has exceeded 40,000 for five consecutive days. Among them, on the 17th, the United Kingdom reported more than 54,000 newly confirmed cases in a single day, a record high in six months.
Although the number of newly confirmed cases in a single day remains high, the British government still insists on the implementation of the final phase of “unblocking” in England as planned on the 19th, which means that the mask order is cancelled and the number of social gatherings is no longer restricted; Outside some specific places, it is no longer required to maintain a social distance of more than 1 meter; all business premises can be resumed; home office is no longer required.
According to British media reports, Scotland is also relaxing some prevention and control measures, while Wales and Northern Ireland plan to relax restrictions on August 7 and July 26, respectively.
England’s “full unblocking” plan has caused continued concerns for days.
Some British MPs said that despite the surge in new cases, the government has relaxed so many restrictions, which is “adding fuel to the fire.” Experts also warned that the number of new confirmed cases in a single day in the UK will “almost certainly” reach 100,000, or even 200,000. Some experts also worry that the “unblocking” of the English region will pose a threat to the global epidemic. Approximately 1,200 scientists around the world jointly signed an open letter in the British medical journal “The Lancet”, opposing the British government’s “unblocking” decision.
Julian Tang, a clinical virologist at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, said that he couldn’t think of any realistic good results from this policy. Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer of England, is also skeptical of “unblocking”, saying that the UK may be in trouble again at an alarming rate.
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