From April 1st the clinically vulnerable will follow the same rules as the rest of the population
In the latest easing of lockdown restrictions shielding guidelines will come to an end for millions of Brits who are deemed to be at high risk from coronavirus. This includes cancer patients having chemotherapy treatment and those receiving stem cell transplants.
Those who have been on the shielding list have received letters telling them that shielding was to be paused from April 1st as a result of falling infection rates across the country and the success of the vaccine rollout.
However the clinically vulnerable have still been advised to keep social contacts to a minimum, work from home where possible, and stay at a distance from other people.
Shielding guidelines have been in place for those at high risk since January 5th, before another 1.7 million people in England were added to the shielding list in February. But as the virus infection rates have dropped across the country, and with the news that over 30 million people have had their first dose of the vaccine, including 90 percent of those told to shield, the extremely clinically vulnerable can now follow the same guidelines as the rest of the population.
However research has suggested that many vulnerable people still feel unsafe despite this, with disability charity Scope finding that up to 75% of disabled people plan to continue shielding even after their second vaccine dose.
Louise Rubin, the head of police and campaigns at the charity, said that many would be “filled with anxiety” about the prospect of being “forced into a choice between their health and their finances”.
Meanwhile Macmillan Cancer Support have questioned whether the guidelines need to change so quickly. Policy officer from the charity, Sara Bainbridge, said that employers should “take into account that this is a difficult situation” for people who have not been into the workplace for a long time, and that there are “options and adjustments that can be made safely”.
Speaking about the decision to end the shielding guidelines though, Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, said that they recognise the impact that shielding has had on people’s wellbeing and mental health. She said that it is the “right time to start thinking about easing up on these more rigid guidelines”.
