Dropping contact tracing early in the coronavirus outbreak was the ‘right thing to do’ because the UK did not have testing capacity, one of the government’s most senior advisers insisted today. Dame Angela McLean, chief science adviser at the Ministry of Defence, said the advice given to ministers to abandon efforts to track individual cases … Read more
Yvonne Doyle, medical director of Public Health England, looked mildly blank when the thorny issue of care homes was raised at yesterday’s Downing Street press briefing. Someone had made the not unreasonable point that NHS Nightingale hospital was largely empty, so why couldn’t it be used to provide support for elderly patients from care homes? … Read more
Ministers faced fresh calls to publish their exit strategy for the coronavirus lockdown today. The former bank of England Governor Lord King said that a ‘trial and error’ reopening of schools and some businesses should be considered to help re-start the economy. The crossbench peer called for the Government to be clear about the obstacles … Read more
Cabinet splits over coronavirus lockdown: Chancellor Rishi Sunak warns Britain faces irreparable damage if restrictions aren’t lifted soon – while Health Secretary Matt Hancock favours extending the measures to protect NHS workers Cabinet is split between hawks who want to lift lockdown in a few weeks and doves who want to delay until late May … Read more