‘Hysteria and rushed legislation worse than coronavirus’, campaigners claim
Hysteria and ‘rushed laws’ in response to the pandemic are doing more harm than the virus itself, according to a new campaign pushing for the Government to change course.
The group, called Recovery, claims the UK’s approach to Covid-19 has prioritised the quantity of life over the quality of life.
It argues that the closure of businesses, cancellation of surgical operations and restrictions on liberties are causing more cumulative damage than the virus – citing the impact of the policies on cancer treatment and mental health.
Drawing support from medical experts, scientists and business leaders, the organisation urges Boris Johnson to take ‘a more rational, balanced and cautious approach’.
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‘It is becoming clear that the consequences of hysteria and rushed legislation can be worse than the virus itself,’ Recovery said in a statement.
The organisation is asking the Government to sign up to five ‘reasonable demands’, including a promise that it will always bear in mind that whatever restrictions are put in place, life has to be ‘worth living’.
It wants ministers to agree to ‘behave with humanity’ rather than curbing essential freedoms of large swathes of the population.
‘Fear and isolation are killers in themselves,’ the group state on their website. ‘No-one should be barred from a dying parent’s bedside. We ask the Government to pledge that it will always act with humanity.’
Other demands include giving ‘equal regard to all lives’ by not postponing vital treatment for other conditions and to hold a public inquiry to stimulate a broader debate about health regulations.
The group have also urged the Government to ‘get the economy moving for the sake of our children’.
The demand states: ‘Our children will have to live for decades with the consequences of current policies: how many will be condemned to live in poverty as a result? We’ve mortgaged their future.
‘We can’t afford to do more damage. We ask the Government to pledge that it will not recklessly put the mental health, jobs and futures of the young people of this country at risk.’
Among supporters are the former supreme court justice Jonathan Sumption QC, cancer specialist and professor Karol Sikora, Oxford epidemiologist and professor Sunetra Gupta and TV psychologist Emma Kenny.
Entrepreneur Luke Johnson and Live aid promoter Harvey Goldsmith have also backed the campaign.
Speaking at Recovery’s launch Goldsmith said that half the people working full time in the music industry had already lost their jobs. ‘Socially distanced shows don’t work emotionally,’ he said, ‘and certainly don’t work financially.’
Alan Miller, honorary trustee of the Night Time Industries Association and co-founder of Recovery, said: ‘Joining forces for a broad alliance means we can draw upon a strong array of business leaders from many vital industry sectors… as well as prominent scientists, artists and citizens who want to see a full ‘Recovery’ for all in Britain.
‘This is an important moment for us all and I encourage everyone who has concerns with the current response to join us.’
The launch of the campaign comes as the Government faces more pressure to follow in the footsteps of France and Germany in imposing a second national lockdown.
Nearly a fifth of England will be under the toughest coronavirus restrictions after West Yorkshire became the latest area to be placed in tier three.
But the regional system is being called into doubt, with the NHS Test and Trace system recording its highest ever weekly number of positive cases and a study by Imperial College London finding that almost 100,000 people are catching Covid-19 every day.
Experts are suggesting a more national approach is needed to address the soaring infection rate, and Home Secretary Priti Patel said the Government would not rule anything out.
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