Government mulls ‘firebreak’ October lockdown if hospital admissions remain high

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The UK is about to enter an ‘extended peak’ of hospitalisations and infections from Covid-19 according to an advisor to the Government.

There are fears the warnings from a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, if proven true, could mean the Government is forced to impose restrictions at the end of October.

It is understood the measures could include extending the one-week half term period to a two week break in effort to stem the risk of a major increase in cases.

Speaking to the iPaper, the advisor said: “We are going to be at a peak, albeit an extended peak, quite soon, so it’s not really the same situation as last year, when failure to reduce prevalence would have resulted in collapse of NHS and people dying in car parks…Hospitals might be overflowing before deaths reach the same level. Acting early will prevent this level.”

Latest figures show England’s rate of new cases of coronavirus has started to rise once more.

Some 315.3 cases per 100,000 people were recorded in the seven days to September 2, the third day in a row the weekly rate has increased.

It means three of the four UK nations are now experiencing a jump in rates.

Scotland is continuing to see a sharp rise in numbers, with 796.3 cases per 100,000 people recorded in the seven days to September 2 – up week-on-week from 644.8.

One month earlier, on August 2, Scotland’s rate stood at just 142.8.

The rate for Wales currently stands at 479.6, up week-on-week from 411.8.

In both these nations, rates have been rising steadily for several weeks.

If hospital rates remain stubbornly high, the Prime Minister could also be forced to re-introduce compulsory mask wearing and social distancing inside public spaces.

Downing Street has denied that there is a plan to put in place a so-called “firebreak” lockdown in October if there is a new surge in Covid-19 cases.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “No, it is not true that the Government is planning a lockdown or firebreak around the October half-term.

“I think (vaccines minister) Nadhim Zahawi was asked a similar question this morning and made that clear as well.

“We have retained contingency plans as part of responsible planning for a range of scenarios, but these kind of measures would only be reintroduced as a last resort to prevent unsustainable pressure on our NHS.

“I think we’ve been clear throughout that we will take action, and indeed we have done when necessary to protect our NHS.

“But under the previous occasions when that action has been required, we have been without the significant defences that our vaccination programme provides us – we’re now in a much different phase.”