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Is it the time to ease Covid restrictions?
Photo by Roman Grachev via Unsplash
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Lockdown protests last year in Liverpool. Photo by Louise Lemoine
Living with the New Normal
LOUISE LEMOINE reports on the effects the end of restrictions will have on the city
The Prime Minister has unveiled his “Living with Covid” plans, and in the coming days, all remaining Covid restrictions will end across England. Some of the changes confirmed will hit the poorest and most vulnerable in Liverpool hardest.
From tomorrow, one of the biggest changes will be that there will no longer be a legal requirement to self-isolate. Instead, the government has advised the public to ‘Exercise personal responsibility.’ Choosing to stay at home if they have Covid or if they suspect they do. They will then have to take a lateral flow test on the fifth and sixth day of their illness.
If both tests are negative, and there are no signs of infection, they should resume their day-to-day life.
For unvaccinated adults who come into close contact with someone who has tested positive, the requirement to isolate ends too.
As well as the requirement for vaccinated adults and children to isolate if they are in contact with a positive case. Contact tracing will also be coming to an end.
For some, this raises worries about what they should do if they catch the virus or come into contact with someone who is positive.
MNL spoke to Marie Spencer, from Croxteth, who is classed as extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 due to her lung cancer diagnosis.
Marie, 58, has spent the last two years isolating for her own safety as she is at significantly higher risk of becoming infected with the virus, respiratory infections are harder to fight off and the treatment she receives has left her with a suppressed immune system.
Marie spoke about her concerns following the announcement that restrictions will soon be coming to an end. She said: “I know people are tired, I am too, but for people like me it’s a scary time.”
She spoke about an online Liverpool cancer support group she belongs to and how they feel about the changes: “Some of them are angry about it, they feel like people should do the right stuff still, like wear masks, get jabbed and tested.”
She added: “But I think this life can’t go on forever. I just feel forgotten about and not really supported by this government.”
Marie also spoke about the loneliness that dealing with cancer as well as having to shield from family members can bring: “I live alone, but I have a big family who want to see me so I’m lucky in a way. I’ve been so worried though, I don’t have people round. Sometimes I feel like I’m facing my condition alone.”
She spoke about how the support group she belongs to helps her through her tough times and encourages others to find similar groups because: “People shouldn’t have to face this alone.”
She also spoke about the announcement that tests will no longer be free. Saying: “I think it’s wrong that they’re making people pay, most of the people ‘round here are working people, so it’s not right to make them choose keeping people safe or paying (their) bills.”
Some of the exceptions to the cost of testing will be free symptomatic and asymptomatic tests for NHS patients and for care homes.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will set out who will be eligible for free tests, but it is expected to be limited to people aged 80 and over or those who are immunocompromised.
Furthermore, the ending of restrictions only applies to England, the rest of the U.K. is set to make its own decisions based on the data they have for their areas.
Doctors’ union, the British Medical Association, said that the plans fail to protect those who are most at risk from Covid.
Opposition parties also said the Prime Minister’s blueprint was moving too fast, and they voiced concerns over the scaling back of free testing.
Chris Hopson Chief Executive of NHS Providers said it was right for ministers to make decisions about our next steps but felt Monday’s plans “Can’t simply be a celebration about the removal of restrictions.”
Adding further pressure, the £500 payment for people on lower incomes who are forced to isolate will end too.
From 24th of March, statutory sick pay and employment support allowance will only be paid after four and seven days of absence.
Many feel this will put pressure on the poorest in our communities. In 2019, Liverpool City Council published data suggesting that Liverpool is the: “Third most deprived local authority (out of 317 English local authorities).” Over the last two years, many have found themselves out of work faced with the challenges of the pandemic and people across the city are facing hardships.
Additionally, free testing kits for
Photo by MediaKit Ltd via Unsplash
the public will end in England from 1st of April.
Most people will have to pay for lateral flow and PCR tests. Now, it is unclear as to how much a test will cost. However, The I newspaper has reported that people will have to pay between £2 and £5 per individual LFT (Lateral flow test) or around £20 for a pack of seven.
Although it seems the government intends to keep prices low, statistically, people living in deprivation are more likely to live in larger households. Costs can quickly rack up when forking out for tests for a large household.
Undoubtedly causing more anxiety around whether to get tested at all, with the added pressures of the costs of living rising and the loss of support for those forced to isolate, the end of restrictions is causing tensions across the city.
Moreover, concerns have been raised that the effects the end of restrictions will have on our cities’ vulnerable and elderly.
Liverpool and the rest of England will be waiting tentatively to see the effects the end of restrictions will have on our communities.
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