MINISTERS DEFY COVID PLAN B CALL

NO TOUGHER CURBS DESPITE CALLS FROM SCIENTISTS BUT WHITTY MAKES BOOSTER APPEAL

- David Bond, Ross Lydall and Rachael Burford

A CABINET minister defied scientists and NHS bosses today by rejecting calls to trigger the Government’s “Plan B” tighter Covid restrictions amid growing fears of a winter health crisis.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng “categorically” ruled out new lockdowns, describing talk of a return to tough restrictions in England as “unhelpful”. He also encouraged workers to go ahead and book Christmas parties, saying the festive season will see parties “as usual”.

But Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Government’s vaccination advisory body the JCVI, warned in an interview with the Standard that the country was “very close to the edge of the cliff”. He called on the Government to be more vocal in encouraging people to wear face coverings indoors, to avoid large gatherings inside and to keep taking lateral flow tests.

“In England in particular the subliminal message is that it’s all over and everyone has gone back to normal,” said Professor Finn of Bristol University. “This is not over. There’s more viral transmission going on now than at any other point in the pandemic.” His warning came as:

Covid cases in the UK continued to charge ahead of other major European nations. Britain reported more than 40,000 positive cases for the seventh day in a row yesterday and recorded 223 deaths — the highest number of daily fatalities since March.