When Covid-19 struck, the government – backed by its scientific advisers – turned to the UK’s influenza pandemic strategy, which they say was the only realistic “template” in the early days of the pandemic.
Britain was confronted with a “brand new infection … for which we which we had no diagnostics, treatments or vaccines,” says Sir Jeremy Farrar, a senior member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). As such, he argues, “you’ve got to go back to some sort of template that you can run a system on, while you then adapt as new data and evidence comes in”.
But if the Sars contingency plan, uncovered now after 16 years, had been adapted the UK’s response would have been far more proactive as Covid spread from China to Europe early last year. Many of the measures it highlights later became key flashpoints for the UK’s outbreak and debate over restrictions, from international travel to limiting mass gatherings and protecting healthcare settings.
This step-by-step framework, which works its way through six alert levels – from…
