Johnson ignored scientists' advice to lockdown

Documents released from the British government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, or SAGE, show that Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected advice from more than three weeks ago calling for a two week-long national "circuit breaker" lockdown to halt exponential growth of the novel coronavirus.

The scientists also gave a critical assessment of the United Kingdom government's test-and-trace system, suggesting that it has only had a "marginal impact" on lessening the spread of the virus.

Official SAGE documents, dated Sept 21 and released on Monday, warned that both local and national measures are needed and that "measures should not be applied in too specific a geographical area".

The scientists said "low levels of engagement" and "delays in testing" made it necessary to impose tougher social restrictions.

"Unless the system grows at the same rate as the epidemic, and support is given to people to enable them to adhere to self-isolation, it is likely that the impact of Test, Trace and Isolate will further decline in the future," the SAGE paper said.

SAGE also recommended that all university teaching should be online unless face-to-face teaching is "absolutely essential", and all bars, restaurants, pubs and indoor gyms should close.

Of the five proposals suggested by SAGE in the document, only one was adopted by the government: advice for people to work from home where possible.

Weekly figures from the Office for National Statistics on deaths in England and Wales show COVID-19 fatalities have quadrupled over the last month.

The paper was published soon after the prime minister outlined a new three-tier alert system and tough local restrictions for some regions in a news briefing on Monday. Johnson said that the rise in virus cases was "flashing like warnings in a passenger jet".

But the new measures he announced fall far short of those recommended by SAGE. The Government Office for Science often releases such background papers on Fridays, so it was unusual for it to be published right after Johnson's briefing.

The Guardian newspaper's live news feed suggested that the scientists may have wanted to highlight that their advice had been ignored.

The government on Tuesday defended its decision to ignore the advise. Robert Jenrick, UK communities secretary, said ministers had tried to strike a "balanced view" on restrictions.

The Labour Party's Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said he was "alarmed" that the government was ignoring SAGE advice.

Speaking to the BBC's Today radio program, he said the government should have "gone further" in terms of imposing local restrictions, and suggested the test and trace system should now be devolved to local authorities.

The Financial Times reported that private health companies are meeting the increased demand for virus tests.

As UK businesses seek to bring staff back to work, temporary pop-up laboratories have been set up. BAE Systems has contracted Circular 1 Health, a health logistics company, to mass test its workforce. Its testing services are also being used at the Sellafield nuclear site and at some private schools.

The pandemic is increasingly taking its toll on the UK job market. The unemployment rate surged to its highest level in over three years and there were more redundancies than any time since 2009, official figures show.

The rate grew to 4.5 percent in the three months to August, compared with 4.1 percent in the previous quarter. More jobs are expected to be lost in the coming weeks and months as new local restrictions force businesses to close.

British Airways, or BA, announced it is replacing its chief executive, Alex Cruz, as the airline struggles to cope with the economic impact of the pandemic.

The airline is cutting about 10,000 staff and is involved in bitter disputes with unions over the mass redundancies.

In Madrid, Spain's far-right Vox party protested on Monday against a partial city lockdown imposed to contain one of Europe's worst outbreaks of the virus.

Reuters reported that thousands took to the capital's streets waving national flags during National Day celebrations. Vox argues that the government's curbs are illegal and excessive and will doom the local economy.

Italy's government is preparing for fresh nationwide restrictions in response to a surge in new cases of the virus. Health Minister Roberto Speranza said Italy needed the restrictions to avoid a new national lockdown.

Tougher local lockdowns may also be enforced in France. French Prime Minister Jean Castex told France Info radio that the country was facing a "strong" second wave of new COVID-19 infections and that "nothing can be ruled out".