EARLIER this year Boris Johnson unveiled his plan to end Covid restrictions by June 21 – but it has emerged several councils in England are hiring Covid marshals to start their roles in July.
The Tory leader had set out hopes to remove all legal limits on social contact, re-open areas of the economy like nightclubs and abolish restrictions on weddings and funerals this summer.
The UK Government is currently carrying out a review into social distancing – but ministers have suggested social distancing and working from home could stay in place after June 21, with the possibility of ending restrictions reliant on the success of the vaccine roll-out and decisions on Covid-19 passports.
According to The Telegraph several councils in England are planning on recruiting Covid marshals beyond that date. One example given was Hertfordshire County Council, which is offering a contract of up to £3 million to companies that can provide 60 marshals from July 1 to January 31.
The contract could include a one-year extension, so may last until 2023. The role involves encouraging Covid “compliance” and helping firms understand Covid “regulations and guidance”.
The council’s director of public health, Jim McManus, said: "We know that the virus is still circulating and will be for some time. We know from last year that numbers of infections can change rapidly, and government are very clear that we should plan in case a third wave arises. It would be a dereliction of duty not to prepare for a third wave."
READ MORE: Covid-19: Scientists fearful of 'distinct third wave' as UK restrictions ease
Other councils, including Sunderland City Council, Northumberland Council, Darling, Portsmouth, Cornwall and Carlisle councils intend to employ Covid marshals beyond the touted day of freedom.
Tory MP Mark Harper said planning to hire based on last year’s situation “does seem to be a waste of public money”.
"It doesn’t reflect the fact that by the autumn we will have protected everybody through a successful vaccination programme,” he said.
His comments come as a new study on the coronavirus vaccination roll-out found a single dose of the jag can reduce household transmission by up to half.
People given a first dose of Pfizer or AstraZeneca’s jags, and who were later infected with the virus, were between 38% and 49% less likely to pass Covid onto those who were not vaccinated, Public Health England found.
The study also found protection against Covid from about 14 days after the jag.
Scientists have warned that there may be a “resurgence” of coronavirus infections as England leaves lockdown.
A paper from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggested lifting restrictions in June could “lead to a larger surge of cases and deaths comparable to that seen during the first wave”.
However, the experts cautioned the findings are “preliminary” and make “pessimistic assumptions” about England’s roadmap.
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