We are in a crisis. Infections and hospital admissions are rapidly increasing. The testing system has broken down and it will be weeks before it is sorted. If nothing changes, there will come a point soon when the situation is so far out of control that the only possible response will be a second national lockdown and our lives will be completely disrupted once again. No one wants this to happen. But we can only avoid it if we take urgent action. We must take action immediately to regain control of the pandemic and drive down infections now. The virus will continue to pose a threat for months, if not years, but for now we need a comprehensive plan that includes measures that we can take immediately and a strategy to rebuild our broken test and trace system. And we must all - government, employers and public alike – take responsibility for our own part in making this plan work. The Government has abdicated its responsibility to provide such a plan. Independent SAGE is therefore providing its own guidance on what we recommend as effective measures.

The Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). Submitted to The UK Government and the People of Great Britain & Northern Ireland by Sir David King, former Chief Scientific Adviser, UK Government, Chair of Independent SAGE