Boris Johnson's Covid-19 strategy is dangerously incoherent

The United Kingdom is currently in an established pattern where hundreds of people are dying each day of Covid-19.

The overwhelming majority of those deaths have been avoidable.

Had Boris Johnson implemented a "Keep it out! Kill it off! Strategy" I believe Covid-19 daily deaths in the United Kingdom would likely have been in single figures or otherwise far lower than the current appalling number of daily deaths.

The appalling carnage which follows from Boris Johnson's failure to apply a "Keep it out! Kill it off! Strategy" at the right time cannot be undone. (I'll turn to the need for a "Take Back Control Strategy" in a future post.)


In this post I attempt to explain why Boris Johnson's policy on Covid-19 is dangerously incoherent and can be expected to cause yet more avoidable deaths.

Put simply, there are two mutually inconsistent elements to the Johnson policy:

• Reduce or stop physical mixing (the "Stay at home" policy)
• Allow physical mixing to continue

The "Stay at home" policy greatly limits the physical contact among many UK residents. Properly applied that would reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

At the same time (and for readily understandable reasons) hundreds of thousands (perhaps millions) of UK residents are still mixing on a daily basis, for example by going to work, shopping for food, going on the London Underground or other public transport.

Such (essential) activities aid the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

So, we have two contradictory policies being applied at the same time, one aiming to stop the spread of Covid-19 and the other assisting the spread of Covid-19.

The chance of two such contradictory policies achieving timely control of the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is zero!

The Government must urgently introduce measures progressively to reduce the risk of the essential activities currently allowed in the UK assisting further spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

One such measure is the use of face masks.

A Government recommendation for the routine use of face masks in settings where physical distancing is impractical is essential.

We know that the SARS-Cov-2 virus is spread by droplets and other tiny particles expelled from the respiratory tract of an individual with Covid-19.

Face masks worn by infected individuals reduce or eliminate the introduction of infective particles into the environment.

Face masks worn by uninfected individuals reduce or eliminate the inhalation of infective particles.

The effectiveness of face masks depends on a number of factors, for example, the type of mask, how well it fits and how it is removed.

I would like to see supermarkets routinely issuing face masks to customers before they enter the supermarket. (Of course, individuals would need to understand how to remove a face mask safely and be provided with a means to dispose of used masks.)

There is no single measure which can reduce spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus to zero during essential activities.

There is no way to reduce physical mixing to zero among those engaged in essential activities.

The Government must urgently examine how to reduce spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus among those who continue physical mixing.