British PM Boris Johnson is considering a raft of proposals in order to avoid being forced to declare a second national lockdown, The Sunday Telegraph reports. Among the proposals under consideration is "shielding," basically an advisory for vulnerable populations to stay at home to avoid becoming infected with coronavirus.
Those told to "stay home" would be allocated time slots during the week during which they would be able to leave their homes to shop and for other essential purposes.
Johnson recently called the prospect of a second lockdown akin to a "nuclear deterrent" that he definitely wants to avoid, echoing advice from Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove of the WHO, who similarly urged governments not to reimpose lockdowns in order to cope with the pandemic.
Meanwhile, a former Supreme Judge writing in The Telegraph stated that forcing the vulnerable to stay home pending the development of a vaccine would be "a cruel mockery of basic human values." Lord Sumption called on the government to allow citizens to make "our own personal risk assessments in the light of our age and state of health and the sort of activities in which we engage ... For some people, social distancing will remain a sensible precaution. The rest of us should respect their choice but drop it and get on with our lives. We cannot keep running away."