Mail Weekly Column: 19 December 2021
The House of Commons voted on Tuesday to approve the motions put forward by the Government to protect public health in the face of Omicron. These are the main changes that will affect you:
The requirement to isolate for ten days has been removed for double jabbed individuals. Instead, if you have been in contact with someone with Covid, you should take daily Lateral Flow Tests for 7 days to ensure that you are clear of infection.
You should work from home if you can.
You will need proof of a negative Lateral Flow Test, or of full vaccination status, in order to be admitted to any large venue.
Mask wearing is now mandatory in all public indoor spaces like cinemas, shops and on public transport.
In addition, the Government has accelerated its booster campaign, offering vaccinations to everyone over 18.
As we all now know, Omicron spreads like wildfire. There is still lots about it that we don’t yet know, or what it will really mean for public health in terms of serious illness, hospitalisations and deaths. But considerable scientific analysis is already under way. Early indications are that those who are unvaccinated are at far greater risk than those who have been double jabbed and boosted.
As some of you will have read, I myself caught Covid after being double jabbed, just before I was due to have the booster. In terms of symptoms, I have been lucky in that it has felt similar to a bad cold. I see this as proof, if it were needed, of the vaccines doing their job in stopping serious illness and the need for medical intervention. And I shall be getting my booster as soon as I can, namely when I am out of isolation and a month has passed.
You will have heard the Prime Minister encouraging us to get vaccinated and boosted to protect ourselves. So anyone who is eligible can book appointments here.
Please, if you haven’t been already – get vaccinated – and boosted NOW.
Also this week, despite being in isolation, I have participated in a good few discussions about fraud and economic crime. The Industry and Parliament Trust, of which I’m a member, met this week to discuss with the police their response to fraud. I have spoken to many constituents who have been defrauded out of their savings, their pensions, or been victims of courier or other scams. I pressed the police on what a good response might looked like, particularly here in Cumbria. I also had discussions on the subject later in the week with the Security Minister, Damian Hinds. Using my decade of experience in fraud prevention, I had ideas about what more the Government could be doing to deter fraudsters, and to catch them. It was good to be able to share my views, and extremely good to know that we have a Security Minister who cares.
