Royal Society responds to coronavirus prevention measures announced by Government

Responding to the Government’s announcement of further measures to limit the spread of Covid-19 in the UK, Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, said:

"The Government’s announcement of further increased restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus is very welcome. Compliance with the new guidelines, and those previously announced, is essential to slow the rate of infection so as not to overburden health services beyond capacity. We anticipate that the Government may bring additional restrictions soon, as needed, based on its well-established systems for gathering and analysing scientific information on this rapidly changing situation in the UK.

We also welcome the decision by the government to publish the evidence including data, modelling and reasoning, behind their strategy. This will help maintain public trust in the Government’s strategy and allow relevant experts in the broader scientific community to scrutinise the results and strategy and offer constructive feedback.

While the Coronavirus (Covid-19) response must be led by the evidence, it is important to recognise that this is a new health threat and as new evidence becomes available it will be reflected in the evolution of the Government’s response."