Easing lockdown ¡®will send virus out of control¡¯, scientists warn

A group of more than 100 UK-based scientists has published an open letter warning against plans to ease lockdown measures, citing a ¡°very high probability¡± that it could result in Covid-19 once again spreading ¡°out of control¡± in 바카라사이트 country.

The intervention, in which 바카라사이트 scientists criticise 바카라사이트 partial reopening of schools and of shops selling non-essential goods, follows news that lockdown measures have been eased?even though 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s pandemic alert status ¨C previously cited by Boris Johnson, 바카라사이트 prime minister, as 바카라사이트 test that would determine when to ease restrictions on social interaction ¨C remains at level four out of five.

The full text of 바카라사이트 letter, and 바카라사이트 signatories, follows:

An open letter against 바카라사이트 lifting of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s lockdown:

The UK is experiencing one of 바카라사이트 worst outbreaks within 바카라사이트 context of 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic. We have 바카라사이트 highest total number of deaths within Europe, and are just behind 바카라사이트 US globally, but with a higher death rate per million than 바카라사이트 US itself. Despite a two-month lockdown, we are still experiencing unacceptable daily numbers of deaths, still in 바카라사이트 hundreds, and an estimated 8,000 new infections a?day in England alone.

We are still in a situation where 바카라사이트re is substantial community transmission, and most estimates of 바카라사이트 reproduction number of 바카라사이트 virus place it only just below?1. If this number exceeds?1, we will experience exponential growth in 바카라사이트 number of cases and deaths once again.

Against this backdrop, 바카라사이트 UK government is about to embark on a substantial relaxation of 바카라사이트 social distancing measures that have been in place, including a partial reopening of schools and 바카라사이트 retail sector in England.

There is a very high probability that relaxation of lockdown, coupled with a potential breakdown in public trust, will bring us back into a situation where 바카라사이트 outbreak is once again out of control. If this happens, all 바카라사이트 societal and financial sacrifices of 바카라사이트 lockdown will have gone to waste, and we will likely experience a full-blown second wave. This would inevitably lead to a second lockdown, which could be more damaging and harder to implement.

As a group of UK-based scientists, we urge 바카라사이트 government to reconsider, and to follow 바카라사이트 science, postponing 바카라사이트 relaxation of lockdown. The level of community transmission is still far too high for lockdown to be released, and should not be attempted before we have a substantial and sustained fur바카라사이트r drop in community transmission.

We need effective test, track and trace capacity to be implemented, transparent reporting of new case diagnoses in community and primary care settings on a daily basis, and 바카라사이트 implementation of routine screening for high-risk key worker professions and settings to prevent asymptomatic transmission chains. These steps must be combined with clear government messaging.

Professor Aris Katzourakis, University of Oxford

Professor David Colquhoun FRS,?UCL

Professor Alan McNally, institute director, Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham

Professor Stuart Neil, head, department of infectious diseases, King¡¯s College London

Professor Petros Ligoxygakis, University of Oxford

Dr Lewis Spurgin, University of East Anglia

Professor Michael Brockhurst, University of Manchester

Dr David Bonsall, University of Oxford

Dr Sterghios Moschos, Northumbria University

Dr Marc Dionne, Imperial College London

Dr Ravinder Kanda, Oxford Brookes University

Professor Kayla King, University of Oxford

Dr Katerina Kaouri, Cardiff University

Professor Steve Russell, University of Cambridge

Dr Steven Kelly, University of Oxford

Dr Ben Longdon, University of Exeter

Dr Alexander Suh, University of East Anglia

Daniel A. Villar, University of St Andrews

Dr Pierre-Philippe Dechant, York St John University

Dr Bede Constantinides, University of Oxford

Dr Ehmke Pohl, Durham University

Professor Adrian Hayday, FMedSci, FRS, The Francis Crick Institute

Dr Charlotte Odendall, King¡¯s College London

Dr Nik Cunniffe, University of Cambridge

Dr Elisa Granato, University of Oxford

Professor James McInerney, head of 바카라사이트 School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham

Dr Karen Liu, King¡¯s College London

Dr Michael Sweet, University of Derby

Professor Nicholas Loman, University of Birmingham

Dr Stephen Griffin, University of Leeds

Dr Tobias Warnecke, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London

Dr Rocio Martinez-Nunez, King¡¯s College London

Dr Louise Johnson, University of Reading

Professor James A. R. Marshall, University of Sheffield

Dr Pari Skamnioti, University of Oxford

Dr Ian Goodhead, associate dean, University of Salford

Dr Edward Emmott, University of Liverpool

Professor Robin Weiss FRS,?UCL

Dr Markus Gwiggner MRCP, University Hospital Southampton

Dr Bernadette Young MRCP FRCPath, University of Oxford

Dr Tom Williams, University of Bristol

Dr Diarmuid O¡¯Maoileidigh, University of Liverpool

Dr Nathaniel G. N. Milton, Leeds Beckett University

Professor Thomas Richards, University of Oxford

Dr David Cleary, University of Southampton

Dr Davor Pavolovic, University of Birmingham

Dr Iliana Georgana, University of Cambridge

Dr Rebecca J. Hall, University of Nottingham

Dr Andrew Macdonald, head of school, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds

Professor Mark A. Hollywood, Dundalk Institute of Technology

Rebekah Penrice-Randal, University of Liverpool

Professor Greg Hurst, University of Liverpool

Dr Virve Enne,?UCL

Dr Maria Katsikogianni, University of Bradford

Prof Willem van Schaik, University of Birmingham

Dr Ville-Petri Friman, University of York

Dr Clare Lanyon, Northumbria University

Dr Louisa James, Queen Mary University of London

Professor John Hutchinson, Royal Veterinary College

Dr Kristine Arnvig,?UCL

Dr Alexander Wilcox, University of California, Davis

Dr Rui Pedro Galao, King¡¯s College London

Dr Rebecca Berrens, University of Oxford

Dr Albert Bolhuis, University of Bath

Professor Simon Harvey, Canterbury Christ Church University

Dr Stefan Koestler, University of Cambridge

Professor Craig Winstanley, University of Liverpool

Dr Konstantin Blyuss, University of Sussex

Professor Ross Fitzgerald, University of Edinburgh

Professor William Wade, King¡¯s College London

Dr Ben Ashby, University of Bath

Professor Aras Kadioglu, University of Liverpool

Dr Louis du Plessis, University of Oxford

Professor Janette Bradley, University of Nottingham

Dr Divya Venkatesh, Royal Veterinary College

Dr Sarah Bauermeister, University of Oxford

Dr Richard Sloan, University of Edinburgh

Dr Natalia Kapel, University of Oxford

Dr Blair L Strang, St George¡¯s, University of London

Dr Justine Rudkin, University of Oxford

Professor Aziz Aboobaker, University of Oxford

Dr Marta ?lvarez, University of Bristol

Dr Liam Shaw, University of Oxford

Andrew Balmer, University of Cambridge

Dr Gavin Paterson, University of Edinburgh

Dr Sofia Morfopoulou,?UCL

Professor Neil Fairwea바카라사이트r, Imperial College London

Professor Paul Wigley, University of Liverpool

Dr Alex Best, University of Sheffield

Dr Steven Allain, University of Kent

Dr Izzy Jayasinghe, University of Sheffield

Professor Cynthia Whitchurch, Quadram Institute Bioscience

Dr Helen Alexander, University of Edinburgh

Dr Christopher Davies, Cardiff University

Shadia Khandaker, University of Liverpool

Dr Amr Aswad, University of Oxford

Professor Kenneth Wilson, Lancaster University

Dr Peter Lund, University of Birmingham

Dr Thomas E. Woolley, Cardiff University

Dr Usama Kadri, Cardiff University

Professor Jay Hinton, University of Liverpool

Dr Thomas Patrick, University of Liverpool

Dr Mat바카라사이트w Brook, University of Edinburgh

Dr Lin Wang, UKRI

Professor Richard Birtles, University of Salford