I completely understand and share the frustrations of constituents at the continued sacrifices we have all had to make over the last year and I absolutely believe it is right the implementation of this legislation is carefully analysed and evaluated. With hospitalisations and deaths falling, I can certainly empathise with everyone who is frustrated at the extension of this Act by another 6 months. However, cases still remain too high, while in Europe the virus is spreading rapidly once again, and 'variants of concern' are continuing to emerge across the globe, which could be more immune to our vaccines. These have all been reiterated by our scientific and medical experts, and are important to remember when it comes to the need for this Act to be extended.
This Act is a vital piece of legislation in our national response to the Coronavirus pandemic and its sole purpose is to protect us all and ensure that, throughout the pandemic, sufficient staff are available, and deployed where they are most needed, as well as supporting members of the public, containing and slowing the virus, and managing the deceased with respect and dignity.
The Act was on track to expire at the end of March and so needed to be renewed to ensure Local Authorities, the Police and the NHS continue to have the powers needed to respond to the pandemic and to implement restrictions if needed. They are also necessary as we move forward with the cautious, but “irreversible”, easing of restrictions set out in the Prime Minister's Roadmap.
I have noted the significant concerns of constituents regarding the renewal of the Act and the long term implications, however I can very much assure you all the extension of this Coronavirus Act does not change the plans to ease restrictions in line with what has already been announced. Should the data allow them to do so, and following an assessment of the impact of the previous step, the Government will proceed with the steps set out. We could still see all social distancing measures lifted on June 21st at the earliest, regardless of this Act being renewed for a further 6 months.
The measures in the Coronavirus Act remain temporary, and continue to be proportionate to the threat we face. It is important to remember they will only be used when strictly necessary and will only be in place for as long as deemed necessary to respond to the pandemic effectively. I also welcomed the Government carrying out an extensive review of the provisions within the Act and, because of the excellent progress in our fight against this virus, the Government is now able to expire and suspend a raft of measures within the Act.
The measures outlined in the Government's Roadmap provide a path out of this pandemic, offering us a route to normal life. I am confident we are currently meeting each of the Government's four tests for easing restrictions and remain on track to deliver on vaccine commitments, meaning we can move forward to the next stage of the Roadmap from March 29th. Crucially, the Government is also committing the remaining stages of Roadmap into law.
I understand these measures still seem intimidating, and the overwhelming majority of people, across Mid Sussex and the wider country, are following guidance and obeying self-isolation instructions. However, we must still be prepared to enforce these measures, to ensure the small number of people who do not comply are not putting lives at risk through their behaviour.
It is vital the Government is still able to use the tools needed to continue to fight this virus and support families, our public services, and the economy through this pandemic, as provided in this Act. We must all remember that, as I said, cases are still high, and we have yet to vaccinate almost half of the adult population. The end is in sight, but we’re not there yet. This is why I do support the continuation of the Act and voted to renew it, along with 483 other MPs, from both sides of the House – only 76 MPs voted against it.
I wanted to include a key quote from my colleague, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock MP, from the debate last night, which preceded the vote:
“Today, we debate our road map to recovery and what is legally needed to take the cautious but irreversible path out of this pandemic. We propose to remove some of the emergency powers that the House put in place a year ago and set the steps of the road map that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has set out into law, replacing the existing national lockdown. We are able to take this action and propose these measures thanks to the perseverance of the British people in following the rules and the success story that is our UK vaccination programme, which has now vaccinated more than 28.6 million people—55% of all adults in the United Kingdom.
“The success of the vaccination programme means that we are now able to carefully replace the short-term protection of the restrictions that we have all endured, with the long-term protection provided by the vaccine. Our goal is to be cautious yet irreversible. I must tell the House, Madam Deputy Speaker, that while I am still, by nature, an optimist, there remain causes for caution. Cases are rising in some areas and they are rising among those under 18. There are early signs of cases flattening among the working-age population, too.
“I am delighted that uptake of the vaccine is now 95% among over-60s and that protection against dying from the vaccine is around 85%. Both of those figures, 95% uptake and 85% protection, are higher than we could have hoped for, but while we are confident that we have broken the link between the number of cases and the hospitalisations and deaths that previously inevitably followed, no vaccine is perfect and take-up is not 100%, so that link, while broken, is not yet severed.
“New variants also remain a risk because we do not yet know with confidence the impact of the vaccine against the new variants. We all want these next few months to be a one-way route to freedom, so as we restore the freedoms that we all cherish, we must do so in a way that does not put our NHS at risk.”
The full debate can be accessed on Hansard: Coronavirus - Thursday 25 March 2021 - Hansard - UK Parliament
I am keen for everyone in Mid Sussex to be able to enjoy the freedoms we took for granted before this past year, and I am as excited as anyone at the very real possibility of an end to all restrictions by June, which is not threatened whatsoever by the renewal of this Act.