With the government relaxing lockdown for those shielding from Covid-19 in England, we explore what this means for the most vulnerable in society.
Who has been shielding?
People who are clinically extremely vulnerable to Covid-19 were asked at the end of March to stay inside their homes for at least 12 weeks and avoid face-to-face contact with others, even keeping a distance from those they live with while at home.
This group of around 2.2 million people included those with cancer who were undergoing chemotherapy, people who have had organ transplants, pregnant women with significant heart disease, and people with severe respiratory conditions, such as cystic fibrosis.
What is the latest news?
From 1 June, the measures for those shielding in England were relaxed slightly, allowing trips outside the home once a day and even meetings, at a distance, with one person from another household.
But from 6 July the guidance for people shielding in England will be relaxed further: people who have been shielding will be able to meet up outside in groups of up to six people from different households, provided they keep 2 metres apart, and they will no longer have to remain 2 metres apart from the rest of their household at home.
If a shielding individual lives on their own, or is a single parent, they will also be allowed to form a “support bubble” with one other household. However, experts have continued to stress the importance of physical distancing and hand washing in reducing the risk of infection.
The government says the guidance will be relaxed because levels of infection in the community have fallen sufficiently that the risk, even to the most vulnerable, has reduced enough for such measures to be safe.
From 1 August, the government has said, people in England will no longer need to shield. However, Matt Hancock, the secretary of state for health, said the shielding scheme is in reality being “paused”– the idea is that shielding could resume if needed.
What does that mean for social interactions?
People who have been shielding will be able to see other people and even go to the shops. From the start of August it means they will also, potentially, be able to go back to their workplaces – provided such settings are “Covid-secure”.
What about shielding children – can they go back to school?
The details are not, as yet, completely clear. However, speaking at the daily briefing, the deputy chief medical officer for England, Dr Jenny Harries, said many children who have been shielding, such as those with asthma, could return to classrooms in September.
“Those children are at very, very low risk from Covid; they are probably at very, very significant risk of getting left behind in their education. In terms of the long-term health outcomes, that would be far worse,” she said.
What about support for people who are shielding?
From 1 August, statutory sick pay and free food boxes that have been provided by the government for shielding individuals will stop.
Local authority and voluntary help may still be available, while a statement from the Department of Health and Social Care said people will retain their priority for supermarket delivery slots. There will still be help available for activities including shopping, getting medication, and accessing transport to medical appointments.
What might happen if there is a second wave?
Harries said that the government will “continue to monitor the evidence closely and adjust the advice accordingly”.
Should shielding need to resume, however, it is not necessarily the case that everyone who has been shielding over the past three months will have to do so again. Research led by the University of Oxford, supported by NHS Digital, has resulted in a new model to improve the identification of who needs to shield, drawing on data from health records to predict how factors including age, sex, ethnicity and body mass index, as well as pre-existing medical conditions, affect the risk from Covid-19 – a move that could make shielding advice more precisely targeted.
