Top U.K. Medic Warns Boris Johnson’s Plans Won’t Stop Virus

(Bloomberg) -- U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced bars and pubs will be closed in the worst-hit parts of England from Wednesday to control a surge in coronavirus, but his top health adviser said it won’t be enough.

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty issued the warning after the premier set out his plan for a three-tier system of Covid alert levels, set at medium, high, and very high, to simplify the imposition of lockdown measures.

In the areas rated very high under the plan, there will be tighter restrictions on social mixing, bars and pubs will be closed and travel discouraged, but Whitty said local authorities will need to take more action to get the virus under control.

“It is the case we are going to have to do more,” Whitty said. “Probably in some areas significantly more.”

The latest version of the U.K. virus strategy shows again the perils Johnson is facing as he seeks to navigate a pandemic that pitches the protection of public health in direct opposition to the preservation of jobs.

The premier is grappling with another awkward calculation as many of the areas of northern and central England that voted for him in last year’s election are now also among the districts where Covid-19 is spreading fastest.

Johnson and his team know they can’t avoid painful decisions as they seek to balance economic needs with virus control, but he suggested another national lockdown may be needed in the future.

Papers released late Monday by the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies showed it urged ministers to impose immediate national or regional restrictions last month to slow the spread of the virus.

Options in a paper circulated Sept. 21 included a short “circuit breaker” national lockdown, increased working from home, bans on contact with other households and the closure of all bars and restaurants.

‘Catastrophic Consequences’

“Not acting now to reduce cases will result in a very large epidemic with catastrophic consequences in terms of direct Covid related deaths and the ability of the health service to meet needs,” the paper said.

The documents also included criticism of the government’s stuttering test and trace system. They warned it will need to expand quickly, and be matched by financial support to people asked to self-isolate, if its effectiveness isn’t going to “further decline.”

For now, the toughest measures will be brought into force from Wednesday in the Liverpool city region of northwest England, where the outbreak is most severe. Bars will only be able to open if they serve “substantial” meals, Johnson’s office said.

“I take no pleasure whatsoever in placing restrictions on these businesses,” Johnson said. “But we must act to save lives.”

As well as pubs and bars being forced to close, households in the Liverpool region will be banned from mixing indoors and in private gardens. Gyms and casinos will also close.

Johnson said he wants similar restrictions to apply in Greater Manchester, where cases are also soaring, but indicated local leaders have not yet agreed.

Talks will continue with local leaders in the coming days and weeks, the premier said. He did not mention new restrictions in London, but the capital’s Evening Standard newspaper said it could be moved to the “high,” or second, level in the coming weeks.

Johnson immediately ran into criticism from his own side, including from Andy Street, the usually loyal mayor of the West Midlands, who said he is “very disappointed” his region has been placed in the “high” tier.

“This is not something regional leaders supported, nor what I believed would be happening following extensive conversations over recent days,” Street said in a statement. Other Conservatives raised doubts and objections to Johnson’s strategy in Parliament.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said the system of local lockdowns has not worked so far during the pandemic and clashed with Johnson over the “serial failure” of the test and trace system.

“I’m now deeply skeptical the government has actually got a plan to get control of this virus,” he told Parliament.

Earlier Monday, senior medical officials painted a grim picture of the resurgent outbreak, pointing to rising cases, hospital admissions and deaths, especially in northern England. Three so-called Nightingale overflow hospitals are being put on standby to cope with an expected surge in admissions.

Elsewhere in Europe, several other nations are preparing additional steps to contain the virus. German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted a cabinet-level meeting on the issue Monday, while Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is expected to order new restrictions targeting nightlife, social events and amateur sports.

The Czech Republic tightened social distancing rules and closed down schools, restaurants and bars through early November as it sought to stem the European Union’s fastest surge in the pandemic.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.