Charities Say Vulnerable At Risk From PM's Covid Plan

More than half a million people with conditions compromising their immune systems risk becoming “the pandemic’s forgotten victims” as Boris Johnson lifts the final remaining Covid-19 restrictions, charities have warned.

- Andrew Woodcock

A group of 18 charities has combined behind a set of demands to ensure that Mr Johnson’s upcoming plan for England to “live with Covid” does not discriminate against people with conditions like cancer, multiple sclerosis, kidney disease or asthma which make them particularly vulnerable to the virus.

The prime minister has also been accused of “throwing vulnerable people to the wolves” with plans to scrap free Covid tests and end mandatory isolation for infectious people. Mr Johnson has said the plan – due for publication on Monday – will lift the legal requirement to self-isolate after a positive test from next week, a month earlier than previously scheduled.

But the government has yet to explain the scientific basis for this decision or how immune-compromised people will be supported to remain safe. The plan is expected also to include a timetable to wind down universal free testing for coronavirus as well as the £500 support payment for people forced to stay home while isolating.

Mr Johnson’s announcement has sparked fears of significantly more infectious people circulating in shops, workplaces and public transport, many of them experiencing no symptoms themselves but presenting a contagion risk to those they encounter.