COVID-19: The United Kingdom Situation Report

• The coronavirus diseases has been defined by the UK Ministry of Health and the UK Government as the “acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)” (The Secretary of State, 2020);
• The UK government has requested that the schools should be reopened on June 1, 2020 (The Secretary of State, 2020);
• Official ending of the lockdown is scheduled for June 1, 2020, as well (‘Coronavirus: schools in England reopening on 1 June confirmed, PM says,’ 2020);
• The official definition of a vulnerable person highly subjected to the threat of developing coronavirus was defined by age (people aged 70 and older), elderly people with underlying conditions, and pregnant women (The Secretary of State, 2020);
• As of May 26, 2020, the UK officials under the guidance and supervision of the UK government have run 3,681,295 tests (‘Government significantly boosts UK PPE supply with more than 100 new deals,’ 2020);
• Out of these tests, 265,227 have been defined as positive, with the required treatment options provided (‘Government significantly boosts UK PPE supply with more than 100 new deals,’ 2020);
• The current risk level has been defined as high in the UK setting;
• The PPE supply has been increased stupendously after the analysis of the statistics related to the COVID-19 issue (namely, the cases of death);
• Specifically, the products of both companies supplying PPEs and individuals producing PPEs domestically have been used widely;
• So far, over 1.48 billion PPE items have been dispersed among the UK population to prevent the further development of COVID-19 (‘Government significantly boosts UK PPE supply with more than 100 new deals,’ 2020);
• The role of environmental factors on the transmission of COVID-19 has been identified, and an appropriate model of the phenomenon has been designed;
• Scientific evidence has been collected and analyzed thoroughly to develop a coherent response toward the changing situation with the coronavirus;
  • The current death statistics shows significant age variations:
  • Children and adolescents under 15: 3 people died;
  • Adolescents (starting from 15) to middle-aged (up to 44): 448 death cases;
  • Adults and aging adults (45-64): 4,160 fatal outcomes;
  • Aging people from 65 to 73: 6,340 deaths;
  • People over 75: 30,135 instances of death from coronavirus (‘Government significantly boosts UK PPE supply with more than 100 new deals,’ 2020);
• The threat of coronavirus transmission will remain a threat, which is why extra measure will have to be designed;
• The government’s response to the threat includes the policy for students to attend schools on alternate weeks to reduce the risks of them contracting COVID-19 (‘Government significantly boosts UK PPE supply with more than 100 new deals,’ 2020);
• In England, a combination of the specified strategies will be used (students form grades 1 and 6 will be placed in primary classrooms, whereas the rest of the students will follow the alternative pattern (‘Government significantly boosts UK PPE supply with more than 100 new deals,’ 2020);
• New policy based on complete transparency and the promotion of awareness across the state, including its citizens, organizations, and state authorities (‘Government significantly boosts UK PPE supply with more than 100 new deals,’ 2020).

Procedures and Policies for Addressing the Pandemic

• Lockdown has been the key policy for managing the levels of COVID-19 contraction among UK citizens;
• Policies concerning the necessity to wear face masks have been enacted in the UK public setting to protect citizens from the virus;
• The focus on clinical countermeasures for preventing the spread of COVID-19 has been prioritized in the UK setting;
• Maintaining public safety as it is perceived in democratic society has been represented as the major objective in addressing the pandemic on a statewide level;
• Enhancing health literacy among UK citizens has been considered a crucial step toward reducing the level of pandemic development;
• The reconsideration of the current immigration policy has been seen as a necessary measure that has to be applied temporarily in order to reduce the extent of the pandemic;
• The approach toward childcare has been altered to increase flexibility and ensure that citizens do not leave the environment of their homes unless absolutely necessary;
• Statutory sick pay has been provided to all employed citizens that have been forced to stay at home due to the lockdown;
• Due to the transfer of employees to their home environment, the policies toward personal data protection and information security have been reinforced.

Government and Parliament Members Diagnosed with Coronavirus

• Nadine Dorries (UK Health Minister, 63);
• Boris Johnson (UK Prime Minister, 55);
• Dominic Cummings (political strategist, 48) (‘The UK parliament and coronavirus,’ 2020);
• Overall, the current levels of disease spread among the members of the UK government appear to be moderate, yet further precaution measures are to be taken to prevent the aggravation of COVID-19 development.

Conclusion: Recommendations

• Key trend to consider: A troubling increase in the number of COVID-19 cases: the primary tendency to be considered in the current UK setting can currently be observed;
• Possible recommendation: The active use of social media as the means of spreading important information about COVID-19 prevention, identification of symptoms, and increase in patient literacy.

Reference List

‘Coronavirus: Schools in England reopening confirmed, PM says.’ (2020). BBC.com.

‘Government significantly boosts UK PPE supply with more than 100 new deals.’ (2020). The Government of the United Kingdom.

The Secretary of State. (2020). The health protection (coronavirus, restrictions) (England) regulations 2020.

‘The UK parliament and coronavirus.’ (2020). Institute for Government.