Setting aside whether easing measures *now* is a good idea (it's not), longer term implications of 'back to normal' are worse.

There is nothing normal about reversing decades of progress in improving public health with barely a whimper.

It's also not inevitable - see below.

How mixed messaging (a feature of the pandemic) creates uncertainty & confusion. ⬇️

“1 in 25 people still have Covid-19” - Chris Witty #CovidInquiryNow #WalkTheWall #KatiePersinger

Chris Whitty sounding much more cautious than PM, talking of a 'gradual, steady change' over coming weeks, warning of new variants which 'could cause significant problems', and saying that next winter will be 'tricky'. Clear message that we're not out of the woods.

Seconded by Patrick Vallance who warns: 'The virus is continuing to evolve... it will continue to do so quite fast probably for the next couple of years... The next variant could be the same severity as Omicron or it could be more severe'.

Looks like Science warning Politics to be cautious, but Politics ignoring Science, just as it ignores #racism #ageism #Disability #pensions #50sWomenFullRestitution

I'm the only peer with no legal experience speaking in the #JudicialReviewAndCourtsBill so I injected some politics. The Govt is trying to allow quashing of cases for such review. If they don't like their decisions being judicially reviewed, then they should make better decisions

The letter from the Commissioners urging the Government to think again about the measures is available on our website: electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and… (4/4)

2/2 - And of course what it means for those working in the care sector (including home carers and family carers) and families visiting CV, CEV and immunosuppressed people - many for the first time in 2 years. The unintended consequences of getting this wrong are immense.

We all want to see the back of COVID restrictions, but there remains too many unanswered questions for those for whom this virus is still extremely serious. We need a proper plan for clinically vulnerable, extremely vulnerable & immunosuppressed about what this means for them 1/2

Therese Coffey’s mean “pay out and grab back” scheme for the poorest elderly cheated of their rightful pensions davidhencke.com/2022/02/21/the…

Anyone in any doubt that ageism & gender discrimination is alive & thriving in 2022? It is on a par with racism & disability discrimination on a scale not experienced since the 1930s. We have a Fascist Govt in power & we need to be rid of it.

A government in chaos. This is pathetic stuff and not how any reasonable decision making should be done.

Shambolically led by Boris Johnson

A serious 'living with Covid' plan would include free tests, self-isolation, decent sick pay etc.

Dropping all the Covid measures has nothing to do with public health.

It's about Boris Johnson trying to save his political skin by doing what hard-right Tory MPs demand.

To keep us safe, and to keep the economy open, there has to be fairly extensive Covid testing, surveillance and genome sequencing regime. Without it, we wouldn’t know if a new and dangerous strain were here, till too late to contain it with antivirals and booster vaccines…

And that is what this is all about. It is about saving the skin of Boris Johnson at the cost of public health.

Starmer to PM: 'This wasn't a plan for living with Covid. It was a plan for ignoring it.'
Starmer asks what the scientific advice for ending legal requirement to self isolate if you test positive?

Tories just announced a £5bn cut from core NHS funding.

The money is now being redeployed to test & trace because Rishi Sunak will no longer provide funds for it.

You cannot trust the Tories with our NHS.