Yesterday the government has set out its plans to deal with the spread of the Coronavirus. The UK is prepared for a spike in confirmed cases. The “action plan” contains a fear that 1 in 5 British workers could be off sick at the peak of the outbreak. However, Britain is not to lean on the EU to help coordinate its response. Whilst in the transition period the UK pays into the EU budget and has access to the EU infectious disease databases.
The UK’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock will not be attending, due to not and being invited, meetings of EU health ministers to coordinate the EU’s response. This has led to rumours of the ending of Britain’s membership of the EU’s Early Warning and Response System (EWRS) for pandemics.Matt Hancock was criticised for the lack of coordination with his EU counterparts. In response to this, in the commons Mr Hancock said: “I have regular engagement with colleagues from across Europe”.
The government is instead expected to focus on engagement at the World Health Organization and via bilateral agreements. To many this will seem sensible. The EU is a political union not an expert in world health. However, given the amount of travel that takes place between the U.K. and the EU it seems ridiculous thar the EU would not want to work directly with the UK to try and detect outbreaks as soon as possible.
Mr Hancock did say that as a result of the no deal preparation planning done prior to January the 31st a significant stockpile of medicines and health equipment will be useful in “playing an important part in making sure we are ready” for coronavirus. The no deal hysteria previously shown by the establishment may now become useful.
Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!
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