Covid-19 decision-making ‘shrouded in secrecy’

LONDON: Major decisions about coronavirus have been “shrouded with secrecy”, a top scientist has said, as he called for more transparency over policies concerning the pandemic.

Sir Paul Nurse, the director of the Francis Crick Institute, said the government should “treat the public as adults” in its communications over Covid-19. The comments come after a major incident was declared in Greater Manchester over rising Covid-19 infections. And Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s meal-deal scheme aimed at encouraging people to go out more has begun.

Sir Paul told the BBC’s Today programme: “I think we need greater openness in the decision-making. It sometimes seems somewhat shrouded in secrecy. And not only that, but better communication of what’s happening. Treat the public as adults.

“I’ll give one example. At the height of the infection I was at a select committee in April and a public health person I think it was – they may have been from the Department for Health and Social Care – was saying all the testing needed for the NHS was in place.

“Yet we showed at the Francis Crick, at that time, 45 per cent of frontline healthcare were infected and they were not being tested because capacity was inadequate. Now, that isn’t a way to earn trust from the public. We need openness, transparency, scrutiny, and a leadership of people taking responsibility for the decision-making, and we need it now.”

Meanwhile Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, urged residents to stay calm after public service chiefs decided to increase their readiness as they grapple with the escalating coronavirus transmission rates in the region.

“People should not be alarmed that a major incident has been declared,” Sir Richard said.The decision to declare a major incident was taken by the Strategic Coordination Group on the weekend after they met to discuss the increased lockdown restrictions announced last week across parts of the North West. The new measures forbid people from different households from meeting each other inside their homes or in gardens, while also banning separate households from mixing in pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues.

It comes as Sunak heralded the start of the Treasury’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme — an offer of half-price meals during August in order to entice people out of their stay-at-home lockdown habits and into restaurants and pubs again after the hospitality sector was badly hit by the pandemic.

The incentive will reduce bills by 50 per cent for all eat-in meals ordered between Monday and Wednesday this month at 72,000 participating establishments, including chains such as McDonald’s, Nando’s and Prezzo. The discount per person will be capped at £10 and does not apply to alcohol.