© AFP / Oli Scarff 12An employee of a Boots pharmacy takes a prescription from a customer in Pontefract, Britain. April 27, 2020.
The UK government will hold discussions about whether it's necessary to stay two meters (six feet) apart from other people during the Covid-19 pandemic, a new report says.
The WHO and EU guidelines on this issue are less strict.Citing government sources, the
Daily Telegraph reports that ministers have asked the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) to ascertain whether the two-meter social distance rule is effective in slowing down the spread of Covid-19. Last week, SAGE called the measure "appropriate,"
but officials now want to assess all options once more in the wake of the government's plans to begin gradually reopening the country.
The two-meter rule is the subject of "live discussion" among cabinet members, one minister told the
Daily Telegraph, adding that the government is focused on getting Britain "back to work."
This is not about weakening the rules, but about trying to test if it's actually necessary to be two meters. What is the empirical evidence on this?
The minister noted that there has to be "common sense" in the way social distancing is being observed. "If someone's fallen over and you need to pick them up, you can't [maintain] a two-meter distance rule," he said.
Staying strictly two meters apart in public places has been advocated at the highest level, including by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, ever since the country went into lockdown. However, the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) advise that it's necessary to maintain only a one-meter (3ft) distance to protect oneself from Covid-19.
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