Would a circuit breaker work? University of Reading professor on lockdown, curfew and tiered system

Boris Johnson's tiered system is "worth working on" rather than a "blanket heavy touch" such as a full national two-week circuit breaker, according to a leading microbiology expert at the University of Reading.

Associate Professor of cellular microbiology Simon Clarke believes the tiered coronavirus system is preferable to a blanket lockdown that would reduce economic activity in places where the infection rate is lower - such as West Berkshire.

He joined business leaders, and pub and restaurant owners to criticise the Government's 10pm curfew saying it "will make very little difference, if any at all".

"A circuit breaker is just another word for lockdown," he said, "we see right across Europe efforts to change by the governments, but it's basically still a lockdown. The big question is whether one does it regionally, locally or nationally?

"It could still happen if we do not see decreases in levels. But is it really appropriate to put places like Cornwall and East Anglia under that when they don't need it?

"It might be better to have a lighter touch approach. If there is less of a problem, there is less need to be as severe."

The prospect of a circuit breaker lockdown has been discussed by both the Government and Sir Keir Starmer.

The Labour leader's proposal for a national lockdown in England has received support from the town's MP Tanmanjeet Dhesi and Slough Borough Council's lead member for health and wellbeing Natasa Pantelic.

But Prof Clarke disagrees and said the tiered system is "worth trying" and "working on".

"What’s not needed is a blanket light touch or a blanket heavy touch with nothing in between," he said.

"There may need to be adaptations. For example, there could be a new layer inserted in the middle, or on the top, depending on how things progress.

"The best course of action is to contain and manage it where it is.

"Infection rates are low in places like Somerset, Cornwall and West Berkshire. Where that’s the case, what’s the point of reducing economic activity?

"But if that might change, Government and local authorities need to step in, be honest about where they are and take action."

He went on to say Berkshire is "a mixed picture" because of the differences in population density between the areas.

More rural areas like West Berkshire and Bracknell Forest have fared better than Windsor and Maidenhead and Slough and argued that is reflected in the north-south divide as well.

Prof Clarke said: "A lot of the south is quite rural. Oxfordshire is one of the most rural counties and figures are quite low there. Meanwhile, in the north, you have several big conurbations.

"You have Liverpool, Manchester, Chester, Bradford, Sheffield and Leeds, quite a lot of big cities all clustered together."

Looking nationally, the worst-hit areas of the country are in the north, particularly the Liverpool and Manchester metropolitan areas.

Prof Clarke argued the north may not have had the chance to get the infections under control before restrictions were lifted in the early summer.

He said: "That [the difference between north and south] might have something to do with the fact that their curve was behind London and the south east, it hit there later.

"Lifting the lockdown was really kind for London and the south east, arguably they [the North] should have been left in lockdown longer.

"One of the contributing reasons why they have the problems at the moment is they were not allowed or not given the opportunity to get their numbers down as they could have done."