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As many as 6,000 researchers and health experts and around 50,000 members of the public have joined hands to start a movement called the Great Barrington Declaration against Covid-19-related lockdown regulations, BBC reported.
The researchers believe that lockdown policies have some debilitating effects on the physical and mental well-being of individuals.
Through their movement, they want the administration to protect vulnerable people from contracting the virus, while allowing the rest to go back to their normal lives.
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The movement started in the United States and soon it gained momentum across the world, including the United Kingdom.
66 renowned medics, including TV doctors Phil Hammond and Rosemary Leonard, who have held significant positions at the British Medical Association, wrote to the health secretary.
In their letter, they highlighted the insufficient emphasis on “non-Covid harms” in the decision-making process.
Researchers in the UK stated that extending the lockdown until the arrival of the vaccine would result in “irreparable damage, with the underprivileged disproportionately harmed”.
They cited some health concerns, which included lower childhood vaccination rates and worsening care for heart disease and cancer patients.
The researchers further pointed out that the risk from the virus is 1,000 times greater for elderly citizens.
Researchers believe that reformulating the lockdown policies would be a much more “compassionate” approach.
They further recommended some measures that could be taken to protect the vulnerable communities from the virulent virus.
Retired people living at home should have groceries and other essentials delivered to them. And when possible, they should meet family members outside rather than inside. This can also be coupled with simple hygiene measures, including handwashing and staying home when sick, which should be practiced by everyone, their declaration stated.
It also added that young low-risk individuals should be allowed to work normally; schools and universities should be open for in-person teaching, and sports and cultural activities could resume and restaurants reopen.
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