New Year’s Eve gatherings during Covid surge would be a ‘slap in the face’, NHS workers say

With New Year’s Eve just days away, health professionals are warning UK residents to follow rules aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus and rule out any plans to gather as Covid-19 rates continue to rise across the country. 

As the NHS struggles to keep up with a surge of coronavirus cases in areas across the nation, Ellen Welch, a GP advisor at the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK), a union representing frontline workers, told The Independent  that doctors and hospitals cannot cope with any additional strain brought on by a potential spike of group gatherings where Covid could be easily spread.

“Colleagues around the country are telling us on a daily basis that the NHS is on its knees," Dr Welch said. 

“We currently have three times as many admissions than during the first wave of this pandemic. Hospitals are overflowing with coronavirus patients, oxygen supplies are running low and in some areas- shortages of non-invasive ventilators have been reported," she continued.

“Frontline staff have spent the winter worrying about how they can keep their patients safe. Staff have been deployed to high risk areas, and cancelled leave to work emergency Rotas. They do all this with inadequate PPE, and a back row place in the queue for the vaccine.

“It would be a slap in the face for any large NYE gatherings to go ahead in the current climate as any face to face contact risks further transmission," she said. “NHS staff are at breaking point and anyone considering a social gathering on NYE needs to think again.”

That warning has been echoed by medical health professionals and associations across the board, as the UK recorded a record 41,385 Covid cases and 357 deaths on Monday.

Speaking with The Independent in a phone interview on Tuesday,  Richard Webber, the national spokesperson for the College of Paramedics, said ambulance staff were already struggling to cope under the strain of a surge in cases.

According to Mr Webber, a paramedic himself, ambulance staff have already seen their numbers cut due to paramedics having to take sick leave after becoming infected with coronavirus or having to isolate after coming into contact with people with coronavirus. 

Meanwhile, he said they are struggling to keep up with a growing workload amid the surge of Covid-19 cases in areas across the country.

Mr Webber said he hoped to see UK residents exercise the same restraint they were asked to exercise over the Christmas holidays.

“I think it’s the same as Christmas in that Christmas was effectively stopped because they stopped separate households from mixing and that affected everybody,” he said.

“Paramedics and hospital staff, as well as the public, are in a position now where [we] can’t cope and I think if people were to go mad on New Year’s Eve, that would just put right back into…an even bigger mess," he said.

A spokesperson for the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said the college could only ask that UK residents “follow the government rules relating to their area”. 

Speaking with BBC Breakfast, Katherine Henderson, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, offered a stronger warning, asking UK residents not to “take a chance on this”.

“Please don’t make it likely that we have an additional surge,” she said. "Don’t mix, wear masks, wash your hands, keep separate.”

In a statement sent to The Independent, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “It is vital people act responsibly, follow the regulations, and minimise transmission risk, save lives and protect our NHS, especially while we see it is facing unprecedented pressures."

“Around one in three people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and risk passing it on without realising, so it is important people continue to follow local arrangements and practise safe behaviours including washing hands, covering your face, making space and maximising ventilation," the spokesperson said. 

“So to protect each other and help stop the spread this New Year’s Eve you must not meet up with friends or family indoors, unless they are in your household or support bubble."

Dr Welch said she found it shocking to still receive calls from patients who “still appear unaware of their personal responsibilities to contain this disease”.

“It is a daily occurrence to speak with patients calling with a fever or a cough who are surprised, and sometimes outraged when I advise them they need to arrange a Covid test and isolate along with their household," she said, adding: “I’ve spoken to people in tier 4 who are going about their business for over a week, while suffering from a high fever.”

“The pandemic will not last forever but right now we are at a critical point and it is essential we all do our bit to follow the rules to contain this virus,” she said.