Hordes of sun worshipers flocked to beaches across the country last summer to soak up the rays, sparking concern over Covid-19 “super spreader” events.
But there has never been an outbreak of Covid-19 linked to a busy beach, MPs heard on Wednesday.
Professor Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, told the Science and Technology Committee: “In the summer we were treated to all this on television news and photos of overcrowded beaches, and there was outrage.
“There were no outbreaks associated with crowded beaches, as far as I know there has never been an outbreak of Covid-19 associated with any beach anywhere in the world.”
He said mass gatherings – such as a horse race event – are an exception because they do not involve social distancing and there are “bottlenecks” such as travel and refreshments.
“I think we need to understand where the risks are so that we can do as much as safely as possible,” he added.
Sun worshipers flock to Bournemouth beach
The same panel overheard scientists “screaming” for someone in political power to decide what level of Covid-19 infections is “acceptable.”
“I think it is fair to say we don’t have Covid winters worse than bad winters with the flu. But in fact, bad winters with the flu can be pretty bad, ”said Professor Dame Angela McLean, chief scientific advisor at the Department of Defense.
It’s one of the things we’ve been crying out for over and over again – could someone in a position of political power tell us what an acceptable number of infections is.
“Maybe this past year, maybe 2020 when the number of infections and deaths was so high, maybe no one would say that.
“But we do have to decide what level is acceptable, and then we can manage lives with that in mind.”
Professor Woolhouse added, “The answer is not zero. If you believe that no Covid death or anything of that order is acceptable, write a blank check to do any degree of damage from the measures you have implemented to try to control it. “
The comments came when the Prime Minister joked with reporters at a mass vaccination center at Cwmbran Stadium in Cwmbran, South Wales.
Mr. Johnson said, “I think there are 46,000 they have done in this center, a really excellent performance.
“I think, as the song goes, ‘I’ve been all over the world and then Japan, I’ve never found a place for vaccines like Cwmbran’. How about that? “
He added: “I think if you look at the infection rates in the UK, they are decreasing a bit now. That is very encouraging.
“I think one of the big questions people will want to ask is how far that is now being driven by vaccination. We hope it does, there are some encouraging signs, but it’s still early. “