The British government is facing growing criticism from scientists and even a former Conservative health secretary over its plan to try to delay the spread of the coronavirus as its number of confirmed cases totals nearly 800.
The British government is facing growing criticism from scientists and even a former Conservative health secretary over its plan to try to delay the spread of the coronavirus as its number of confirmed cases totals nearly 800.
While several other European countries adopt restrictive measures such as cancelling school and banning large gatherings, the United Kingdom remains an outlier and its public health officials insist those actions are premature.
“The timing is critical,” said Patrick Vallance, the U.K.’s chief scientific adviser.
“It’s a package of things that need to happen at the right time.”
On March 12, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared the coronavirus “the worst public health crisis for a generation,” the government announced that it was moving into the “delay” phase of its plan.
It includes asking people who exhibit symptoms such as a fever or persistent cough to self-isolate, but it didn’t move to close schools or ban large gatherings as is happening in Ireland or France.
Vallance argued against implementing those measures now because the government doesn’t anticipate the spread of the virus to peak here until the end of May.
However, some infectious disease experts question the logic of the U.K. government’s plan.
“I personally feel that it is under-measured,” said Dr. Bharat Pankhania, head of public health medicine at the University of Exeter.
Pankhania, who has worked for mo