The scientists who have been advising the government about #COVID19 have started to speak more candidly about the situation. Here's a little thread of some of the things that have been said in the last few days or so:

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Epidemiologist and SAGE member John Edmunds said the government was lifting the lockdown too fast. "The sort of messaging we're getting from the government seems to be to rush this."

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He was supported by fellow SAGE member and director of the Wellcome Trust Jeremy Farrar who tweeted: "Covid-19 spreading too fast to lift lockdown in England. Agree with John and clear science advice."

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Professor Peter Horby, another scientific adviser (but doesn’t sit on SAGE I believe) – also raised concerns about relaxing lockdown: “You will have heard that the R level is between 0.7 and 0.9, so it’s only a bit below one, so, we have got very little headroom, actually.”

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On the Dominic Cummings story Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said: “In my opinion, they are for the benefit of all and in my opinion they apply to all”.

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Dr Jenny Harries, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, said Prof Van-Tam's comments were "exactly right".

"I can assure you from a level of personal and professional integrity, I'd always try to follow the rules...important thing is they are rules for all of us".

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