Covid hysteria is worse than the virus — the Government needs to act humanely

IN the 1990s I was secretary-general for the International Society For Human Rights in the UK. 

I would never have thought then that I would have to make basic humanitarian demands of the British Government. 

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In the hysteria of Covid-19, that’s the way it’s heading. 

I’ve set up campaign group Recovery to give a voice to the scientists, business leaders, artists and staff in the NHS who believe the Government’s approach to tackling coronavirus is wrong. But when they speak out they have been smeared and attacked — often just for questioning laws rushed through ­Parliament. 

In the second wave of the virus, we have seen that only a small number of under-40s have died of Covid-19 yet we are potentially facing another national lockdown. 

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All deaths are tragic and I would never want to minimise the pain caused by losing a loved one of whatever age. 

But we want to preserve balance in our approach to this disease and minimise the damage being caused by ­lockdowns and restrictions. 

To do this, we are making five reasonable demands of the Government. 

The first is for them to act humanely — we don’t want more rules that ban a child from the bedside of a dying parent or stop a grandparent ­hugging a grandchild.

That is inhumane by any standards. 

Second, all lives should be of equal importance and everyone should have a right to hospital treatment. 

Covid is a terrible disease but living, breathing cancer sufferers are going without treatment and will die.

This is all to make room for hypothetical Covid patients based on questionable modelling from Prof Neil Ferguson. 

It is wrong to keep hospital capacity reserved on the off chance a severe second wave prediction is correct. 

Our third demand is for a public inquiry into not just how the Government handled Covid — but every aspect of what went wrong and the ­collateral damage caused. 

The London Ambulance Service has seen suicide attempts almost double from this time last year. 

We have people who are not being screened for cancer which we know will become a huge health concern. 

Health secretary Matt ­Hancock is favouring tough measures because he knows that in a future Covid inquiry it will be his head on the chopping block. 

Our fourth point is safeguarding all the things that make life worth living. 

Just crossing the road is dangerous but we do this every day to enjoy seeing friends and family or attend a football match or the ­theatre. 

At the moment the Government is sacrificing everything in order to extend lives at all costs.

And in the case of Covid you are typically talking about lives which have already been long. 

What we say is take precautions and safety measures but have some regard to quality of life as well as quantity.

And lastly, we need to ensure our children have the chance of a decent future. 

Youth unemployment is skyrocketing and will only get worse, and isolation is causing a mental health crisis. 

We say the Government should be thinking ahead by years — not just mere months — to make sure they have the right to rich, full lives. 

So let’s look at the facts and make a decision from them — not from creative modelling or what’s best for a politician’s career.

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