Dr Hilary begs public to take second lockdown 'seriously' despite fall in 'R' rate
4 November 2020, 13:47
Despite a drop in the 'R' rate, Dr Hilary is urging people to follow the rules of a second lockdown.
On Thursday, November 5, England will go into a second lockdown following a rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
However, this week King's College reported that the 'R' rate in the UK has fallen, giving new hope to people dreading a lockdown lasting longer than a month.
Despite the promising news in the rate of infections, resident Good Morning Britain and Lorraine doctor Dr Hilary has urged the public to still follow the second lockdown rules.
Talking to Lorraine Kelly, he said that while the drop in 'R' rate nationwide is "encouraging", it is not a reason to cancel lockdown.
READ MORE: What are the rules on meeting other households in the second England lockdown?
He explained: "There is a big caveat because we're still seeing about 80,000 new cases a day, so even though it has fallen back towards one, the 'R' rate is still about one, so those 80,000 people can give it to 80,000 more people at the current time.
"We still have high prevalence at the moment, we need to further get that down. It's not a reason to say 'we don't need lockdown', we absolutely do."
He added that in his opinion, "if you're going to do lockdown, do it properly, no half measures".
He urged viewers to take the second lockdown "seriously" and told them that if everybody follows the guidelines "we will get through this".
Boris Johnson outlines restrictions for second national lockdown
Dr Hilary also offered his opinion on the recent reports that a vaccine could be ready in a month.
He said that the news – which he described as a "ray of hope" – was "promising" and that it could be rolled out in the next four week, just before Christmas.
He explained that if the vaccine did succeed, it will be handed out firstly to the elderly and front line workers, followed by care home residents and workers.
READ NOW: When does England go into lockdown and what time does it start?
