COVID Restrictions to Remain 'for a Few Years,' UK Public Health Official Warns
Head of immunisation at Public Health England gives grim prediction
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A top UK health official has warned that COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions will likely remain in place "for a few years."
Mary Ramsay, the head of immunization at Public Health England, says measures will need to continue for much longer than expected because the public has become too complacent.
Ramsay predicts that social distancing and other lockdown restrictions will remain for the foreseeable future while advanced nations wait for other countries to catch up and complete their vaccination programs.
"People have got used to those lower-level restrictions now,” Ramsay told reporters.
"People can live with them, and the economy can still go on with those less severe restrictions in place,” she added.
"So I think certainly for a few years, at least until other parts of the world are as well vaccinated as we are, and the numbers have come down everywhere, that is when we may be able to go very gradually back to a more normal situation."
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Ramsey said that so long as people continue to be infected, the rules won’t be abolished, according to Summit News.
Ramsay’s comments once again suggest that the plan never was to get “back to normal.”
Now that Brits have allowed society to be permanently deformed, with polls routinely showing vehement support for lockdown and other pandemic rules, things are never going to be the same again.
A new survey out this week found that over half of UK residents will miss certain aspects of lockdowns.
Some 54% said they will miss some aspects of lockdown, such as family time, quieter roads, and staying at home, according to research by the Policy Institute at King’s College London and Ipsos Mori.
The research, part of a wider study with BBC News also found that 32 per cent of 2,442 adults aged 16 and over said the past year has been similar to or better than average for them personally.
And 19 percent said the last year has been better than they expected it to be when the first lockdown was introduced, while 21 percent said their finances have improved.
Younger people (aged 16-35) were twice as likely as older adults to say their year had been better than expected.
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Professor Bobby Duffy, director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London, said: “There is no doubt that the public would rather the pandemic hadn’t happened at all – but that doesn’t mean it’s been all bad for everyone, or that people see it deeply affecting their future.
“What’s striking from the findings are the significant minorities for whom the last year turned out better than expected, or even better than a normal year.
“Many of us will also miss at least some important knock-on effects of the lockdowns, particularly the time at home with our families and the peace and quiet.
“And, looking forward, there are majorities who say that their own finances, career prospects or life overall will be either little affected by the pandemic or that these will actually improve."
