Forex Trading For Beginners 2021: Covid: Keep some restrictions after 19 July, BMA doctors say

Drinkers out at a pub in Waterloo, London

Some targeted Covid measures should be kept in place in England beyond 19 July - when all legal restrictions are due to be lifted, leading doctors say.

The doctors' union, the British Medical Association, said it was "crucial" to protect the NHS, health and education amid an "alarming" rise in cases.

It called for continued use of face masks and new ventilation standards.

It comes as ministers consider allowing fully jabbed people to avoid isolation and testing if exposed to Covid.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that he hoped England would be able to return to as close to the pre-pandemic status quo as possible on 19 July - the fourth and final stage of lockdown lifting in England.

But he hinted that some "extra precautions" may still be needed.

Weekly coronavirus cases in the UK are up 74% on the previous seven days, according to government figures.

And on Friday, the UK recorded 27,125 new cases and another 27 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.

The number of people admitted to hospitals in England with Covid-19 has risen by 55% over the last week, the British Medical Association (BMA) says.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, said the easing of restrictions was not a binary "all or nothing" decision and that "sensible, cautious measures" were still required.

He said: "As case numbers continue to rise at an alarming rate due to the rapid transmission of the Delta variant and an increase in people mixing with one another, it makes no sense to remove restrictions in their entirety in just over two weeks' time.

"The promise was to make decisions based on data and not dates, and while we were pleased to see the government react to data in delaying the easing on 21 June last month, ministers must not now simply disregard the most recent, damning numbers by rushing into meeting their new 19 July deadline."

"Targeted measures" put forward by the professional body for doctors include requiring people to continue wearing face coverings in enclosed public spaces, such as shops and on public transport.

The BMA also urges the government to improve public messaging on how the virus spreads and the importance of good ventilation - including the setting of legal standards.

Dr Nagpaul urged ministers not to "throw away" the progress made in the vaccination programme.

He said more time was needed to roll out jabs, adding the country was "still some way from protecting enough of the population".

Twice as many coronavirus patients were on ventilators now compared with this time last month, he said, presenting a "particular worry" for doctors.

High levels of community transmission could also provide "fertile ground" for new, potentially vaccine-resistant variants to develop, he added.

In the UK, 45 million people - 85.5% of the adult vaccination - have now received one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. More than 33 million people - 63.1% - have been double jabbed, according to latest government figures.

Chart showing that the number of cases are now rising again

The warning comes as a Downing Street source said the need for isolation or daily tests for those who had received two coronavirus injections could be removed on 19 July.

First reported by the Times, the source added that no decision had yet been taken.

The final stage of measures lifting was deferred by four weeks from 21 June amid concerns of the spread of the Delta variant, first identified in India, with the government saying more time was needed to administer vaccines.

However, Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said there is "no reason" for England's final Covid restrictions to last beyond 19 July.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said double-jabbed people should be able to travel from the UK to Germany without quarantining "in the foreseeable future".

After meeting with the PM at his Buckinghamshire residence, Chequers, on Friday, Ms Merkel said her country was "continuously reviewing" its coronavirus travel restrictions.

The Delta variant continues to account for approximately 95% of confirmed cases of coronavirus across the UK.

Public Health England figures show 161,981 confirmed and probable cases of the Delta variant have now been identified in the UK - up by 50,824, or 46%, on the previous week.