The Observer view on the premature relaxation of the lockdown
Boris Johnson's lack of transparency suggests he is more concerned with a political crisis than a health one
Throughout this pandemic, Boris Johnson has claimed to have been following the science". By parroting this epistemological nonsense, ministers are encouraging us to believe that they are only doing what the scientists tell them. It is but a short step from there to blaming the government's scientific advisers for the UK's terrible death toll. This lends added significance to the roll call of prominent scientists - including some senior members of the government's scientific advisory committee for emergencies (Sage) - who have this weekend publicly made clear their concerns that the government is relaxing the lockdown in England too early.
The decision about when and how to relax the lockdown is political. It can only ever be informed, not dictated, by the uncertain science, and must also weigh the risks and costs imposed by the lockdown itself. This is why it is critical that politicians are unfailingly transparent about the basis on which they are making their decisions - not just the scientific advice, but the other assumptions and value judgments that are informing their decisions.
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