Senior politicians from four major northern councils have directed a letter to the government warning that the current coronavirus restrictions are "not working", calling some of them confusing and others counterproductive.
In the letter by Leeds City Council leader Judith Blake, Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese, Newcastle City Council head Nick Forbes, and Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson expressed their "extreme concerns" about the swift rise in the number of coronavirus cases in their communities and the "national responses" to this end.
The four cities are among the worst-affected areas as the pandemic continues to retain its grip on the UK: the country reported 14,542 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, almost 2,000 more than the previous day.
Hospital admissions in England have likewise grown exponentially, hitting a four-month high.
"The existing restrictions are not working, confusing for the public and some, like the 10 p.m. (curfew) rule, are counterproductive", they said, as photos have been circulating around of Brits en masse storming public transport after the recently introduced curfew hours at bars and other public spots.
Insisting they do not back new economic lockdowns, they instead called for additional powers to punish those who break the rules and for any further restrictions to be designed locally by police and public health experts.
They also demanded additional financial support for those that need to self-isolate and locally controlled tracing and testing systems.
"It is critical to the future of our local - and therefore the nation's - economic well-being that we look to work together to deliver a joined up and effective response for our cities and the country in the coming days", the document said. The local pandemic support schemes need to embrace a whole number of locally important measures, including those aimed at struggling local businesses, the signatories argued.
"It seems to me to be common sense and also consistent that if we're having a local lockdown that impacts on businesses, we should have a local scheme that supports those very businesses. Because otherwise they won't come back", Joe Anderson told Sky News, urging that "we've got to stop the jobs from being lost and that will then stop people needing training packages because we've prevented those jobs from going".
He went on to call for tougher measures on behalf of the national government, which will on the one hand halt the spread of the virus, and on the other provide support for the worst affected sectors: "I think the government are in a halfway house here. I don't think they've done enough and they hope it will go away. The bottom line is you have to make a choice - there has to be stricter measures that actually bring the virus to a halt...and that's why there has to be an economic package of support where that is happening", Anderson asserted.
Professor John Edmunds, who sits on the scientific advisory group for emergencies (SAGE), weighed in on the criticism of local measures, arguing new national restrictions were needed urgently. Professor Edmunds said the government's current "light touch" measures are just "delaying the inevitable".
"We will at some point put very stringent measures in place because we will have to when hospitals start to really fill up", he told the BBC. "Frankly, the better strategy is to put them in place now".
Herd Immunity Scenario Coupled With Protection of Vulnerable Categories
There is, however, a popular opposing view stating protection is desperately needed only for the most vulnerable citizens. A new declaration - the so-called Great Barrington declaration - signed by thousands of scientists including from the universities of Oxford, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Cambridge, Sussex, and York calls for a herd immunity approach while protecting the most vulnerable segments of society.
Tories Have Their Say
The Conservative Party is no less divided over the coronavirus rules: as many as 14 Conservative backbenchers were joined by five DUP MPs in voting against the government over its "rule of six", which limits social gatherings to a maximum of six people.
They were outnumbered by those who were for the measure, but a more challenging vote is expected next week over the government's 10 p.m. curfew for pubs, bars, and restaurants, as MPs were granted a much sought after right to overview and set up votes on the emergency measures introduced by the Cabinet.
