At his press conference of 20th October 2021, the Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, noted the rise in
infections, hospitalisations and deaths due to Covid. He stressed that the pandemic “is not over” and
that cases could rise still further, up to 100,000 a day. He pledged that the Government would keep
a close watch on the figures and “stay vigilant preparing for all eventualities”. But he ruled out any
extra measures at the present time. Instead, the Health Secretary stressed the need for people to
get vaccinated and to ‘play their part’ by acting cautiously – particularly wearing masks in crowded
spaces.
We endorse the call for people to get vaccinated as a key element in the strategy to control Covid.
We also endorse the call for people to act cautiously and responsibly in order to protect themselves
and others from infection. We agree that both are necessary elements in a Covid strategy for the
coming months. However we depart from the position of the Health Secretary in three crucial
respects.
Read the full statement here
