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Dozens of Britain’s largest cancer charities today are sincerely appealing to the public to continue to wear masks in crowded places and maintain social distancing, as vulnerable people feel left out again basic “normal activities” of daily living when the Covid restrictions end.
In a powerful joint letter ahead of the lifting of social contact regulations in England on Monday, 40 leading charities warn that the government’s determination to continue the reopening means that for those most vulnerable to Covid, it will be “a day when freedoms will be abolished ”.
Cancer patients are just one of a much larger group of up to 3.8 million people deemed clinically extremely vulnerable to the virus, who have reported feeling unsafe and abandoned as the end of the disease approaches. social contact restrictions.
In their open letter, charities said people with serious illnesses that made them susceptible to Covid and less likely to be protected by vaccines needed a “message of solidarity” from others willing to pursue certain measures to help keep everyone safe as cases increased. .
‘Tomorrow in England we will see the lifting of Covid restrictions as people no longer have to wear face masks in crowded places or maintain social distancing,’ write the charities, which include Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, Blood Cancer UK, Breast Cancer Now and Kidney Cancer UK. “Many people will look forward to the day when they regain their ‘freedoms’. But for many people with cancer, tomorrow will be a day when freedoms are taken away.
“The more people exercise their freedom to stop wearing masks and stop social distancing, the more people with cancer will feel they need to stop their normal activities and will feel more worried when they have to do things like use public transport.
They add that they “had hoped that the government would continue to insist that people continue to wear masks and respect social distancing in crowded places.” As the restrictions will be lifted, however, they are calling on everyone across the UK to continue to wear masks in crowded places, to keep their distance from people they don’t know and to get vaccinated.
The concerns go far beyond cancer patients. Those considered clinically vulnerable, who were protecting in the millions at the start of the pandemic, are also deeply concerned about the end of the restrictions. As the Prime Minister became more cautious last week and advice remains to wear masks in crowded indoor environments, many say Monday’s lifting of restrictions will see them and their families back out again.
Sarah Hemmings, 34, a teacher at Norwich Primary School, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis two years ago and started taking drugs that weaken her immune system. “Over the past two months, because so many restrictions are still in place, I have felt like I participate in society to a limited extent, even small things like going to the store or having coffee to go. “She said.” I have an element of control. But over the last couple of weeks and what’s going on Monday, it’s going to be back where we were for much of last year.
“When I first heard about the decision to get rid of mandatory masks and social distancing, I was completely shocked. For most people, I think these are relatively minor adjustments that mean this large group of 3.8 million people don’t have to choose between their safety and their participation in society. It is an extremely diverse group of people. We have jobs, we have families. It will be an incredibly difficult time. I’m really scared because in fact on “freedom day”, so to speak, I do pretreatment tests. Later in the week, I get my next immunosuppressive treatment. It is not a comfortable time.
The Department of Health and Social Affairs was contacted for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.
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