Image

When will we know if the UK lockdown is working?

When will we know if the UK lockdown is working?

When will we know if the UK lockdown is working?

Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Boris Johnson placed the UK in a state of ‘lockdown’, restricting daily life to ‘essential’ movements only. He said that it would be reviewed after three weeks. But, when will we know if the UK lockdown is working?

Over the past two weeks, there have been signs that the rate of infection is starting to slow down.

However, the number of people dying in hospital from Covid-19 is continuing to double every few days, and experts have warned that we may see see record highs in the coming days.

It takes a considerable about of time for an infection to develop into symptoms or illness, and for this to be reported and recorded. It is s process that may take days or weeks.

That delay means that, when we do reach a turning point in either direction, we may not see it in the figures for a few days. And therefore, we might not know the effectiveness of the UK lockdown straight away.

Social distancing was introduced before the lockdown, so the effect of those measures may start to show in the coming weeks.

In the case of other notable global lockdowns, China implemented a severe lockdown Wuhan in January before it had even reached 30 deaths. The number of deaths reported each day continued to increase for nearly three weeks but has fallen into single figures since then. Italy’s lockdown began on the 8th of March. Two weeks later, the number of deaths started to plateau, with the most recent figures showing a decline.

So, while it may take a long time for a reduction in transmissions and deaths to translate into figures, the numbers of confirmed cases in the UK are in fact already beginning to decline, and the number of deaths may, in time, follow suit.

Contact Gi National
Email us: news@gi-media.co.uk

administrator