NHS Confederation welcomes new measures on day public campaign relaunches

Responding to the announcement of new measures at the No 10 press conference, Matthew Taylor chief executive of the NHS Confederation said:

“Health leaders across the country have been very clear with us that it is better to be safe than sorry. If there are additional measures that could be taken that do not drastically interfere with people’s daily lives but could make a big difference to cutting transmission of the disease then it would be reckless not to take them.

“We are relieved the Government has finally listened and hope these precautionary measures have not come too late. No one wants another national lockdown or for patient care to become disrupted again given how hard frontline teams are working, including in tackling the elective care backlog and steering the booster programme.

“As set out in our #NotTooMuchToMask campaign, curbing the spread is not just a Government responsibility as the public has a vital role to play too. This includes by wearing face coverings, getting vaccinated, keeping indoor spaces ventilated, cleaning their hands regularly and getting tested.”