Coronavirus: Senior government health advisers pour cold water on Boris Johnson’s social distancing hopes

Warning the measure will be with us for a long period

The government’s most senior health advisers appeared to cast doubt on Boris Johnson’s suggestion the UK could see a significant return to normality in time for Christmas, just hours after the prime minister made the prediction.

Mr Johnson said that if progress in the fight against Covid-19 continued it might be possible to move away from social distancing measures, including the one metre-plus rule currently in force, by November.

He added: “It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November at the earliest – possibly in time for Christmas”.

Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, and Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, were not at Mr Johnson’s side at a press conference in Downing Street in which he announced a cautious lifting of the government’s ‘work from home’ message.

Later both appeared to suggest a less optimistic outlook for the UK.

Prof Whitty told a House of Lords committee that “ (social) distancing remains an important part of this mix and how it is interpreted in different environments has evolved, but it has not gone away. [It] needs to continue for a long period of time.”

Prof Vallance told the same committee that if the virus comes back in a second wave “then clearly we remain as a population exposed to this. And therefore the measures of reducing contact to reduce spread, the sorts of social distancing measures that we’ve talked about, and the hygiene measures that go along with that, will be necessary.”

Earlier this week Prof Vallance also put himelf at odds with the prime minister when he said there was no reason to change the work from home message.

Mr Johnson had himself admitted he could not say the UK would see a full return to normality in time for Christmas.

Asked if families would be able to celebrate the holiday with their loved ones this year Mr Johnson said he was hoping for the best but preparing for “the worst”.