It’s too soon to end lockdown. But give us the best route to early freedom – Covid passports | Will Hutton
If initial caution is necessary, we also need to forget the spectre of Big Brother
Prepare for a disappointment. No prime minister who is committed to an irreversible departure from lockdown and who has told world leaders that the same mistakes must not be repeated can now end it on 21 June. A delay is certain, given the dramatically worrying figures released by Public Health England on Friday about the growth and deadliness of the Delta coronavirus variant, first identified in India.
Hopes that large gatherings such as weddings might be given the go-ahead if everyone attending is tested, even while the rule of six, mask wearing, working from home and social distancing rules remain, are looking wobbly. The US Food and Drug Administration’s scathing criticism on Thursday about the effectiveness of Innova’s lateral flow tests, widely used in Britain by NHS Test and Trace in a £3bn contract as part of Operation Moonshot, has forced a review that may lead to their suspension. Spending billions on a testing process only supported by scant and partial data was a risk too far.
