Coronavirus: Health secretary says people can stop shielding from 1 August but shielders are afraid

People deemed at ‘high risk’ of dying from COVID-19 have been told by the government they will no longer need to shield at all from 1 August but many ‘shielders’ fear the deadline and the scrapping of state-funded food boxes that comes with it.

Shielders with underlying health conditions had been told by the government to stay inside their homes to protect themselves from contracting COVID-19 and have not gone out for over four months.

A poll of 500 shielding people by Buckinghamshire Disability Service has found 85 per cent of shielders were not confident enough to stop shielding on 1 August.

Health secretary Matt Hancock wrote to shielders on 22 June, to announce the end of shielding support for them.

Currently 2.2 million people, described by the government as 'extremely vulnerable', have been shielding during the pandemic and are currently entitled to government-funded food parcels and medicine deliveries.

In the House of Common, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was asked by Vicky Foxcroft, the shadow minister for disabled people, about protection for shielders in the event of a second wave of the coronavirus and Mr Johnson told her: “What we want to see is a situation in which the prevalence, the incidence is so low that the shielding programme no longer needs to continue”.

The government’s 1 August deadline will put a stop to its shielding support. All free food currently given to shielders will stop, statutory sick pay will end for working shielding people. Local authorities will no longer be required to give help such as phone contacts and special dietary support.

Many people will continue to shield after the government’s 1 August deadline and suffer for it. People who continue shielding may become reliant on the goodwill of local suppliers and charities, if they feel that it is too early and too risky, for them to integrate fully in an unlocked society.

Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said she was aware that a man in her constituency of Streatham, had died after being unable to access food essentials during lockdown.

A campaign by Silver Voices, the older people’s rights organisation, is now underway demanding the government extend shielding support until at least the end of the year.

While Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced financial help for restaurants and businesses to keep running, campaigners want the position of the ‘forgotten’ shielders to be considered as they ‘face being forced out into an unsafe world; when all attention is being placed on support for businesses, workforces and sectors of the economy like hospitality and leisure’.

Silver Voices is urging the public to write to their local MP to push for a shielding support extension.

A letter drafted by the campaign group for the public to send to MPs, states: ‘The Government maintains that shielding has only been “paused”; but in the event of local outbreaks or a second wave, thousands of shielders could have been infected before shielding arrangements have been reinstated.

‘In view of the relatively low costs, the Government is urged to extend shielding support for those who opt to continue isolating to protect their health. Shielding is hard, and not a holiday, but is preferable to intensive care!’

You can sign Silver Voices’ petition to extend the government’s shielding support by clicking here.