(CNN)Calling it a "dangerous and unethical experiment," more than 4,000 scientists, doctors, nurses and other professionals signed a letter published Wednesday condemning the British government's plans to drop most pandemic control measures on Monday, July 19.
"We believe this decision is dangerous and premature," they wrote in a letter to the Lancet medical journal.
"The UK Government must reconsider its current strategy and take urgent steps to protect the public, including children. We believe the government is embarking on a dangerous and unethical experiment, and we call on it to pause plans to abandon mitigations on July 19, 2021," they added.
"Instead, the government should delay complete re-opening until everyone, including adolescents, have been offered vaccination and uptake is high, and until mitigation measures, especially adequate ventilation and spacing are in place in schools. Until then, public health measures must include those called for by WHO (universal mask wearing in indoor spaces, even for those vaccinated)," they wrote.
The letter, originally signed by a few dozen researchers, now has more than 4,200 online signatures.
"The government has made a deliberate choice to expose children to mass infection, rather than protect them in schools or vaccinate them," said Dr. Deepti Gurdasani, an epidemiologist at Queen Mary University, who organized the letter.
"This is unethical and unacceptable. Our young have already suffered so much in the past year, and are now being condemned to suffer the consequences of this dangerous experiment."
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced restrictions would be lifted earlier this month, calling the 19th "Freedom Day" and asking, "If we can't open in the next few weeks ... then when can we?"
"Contrary to the statements of government scientists, there is no scientific consensus over the government's current plans to remove protective mandates on July 19. Instead, there is deep disagreement," Lancet editor Dr. Richard Horton said in a statement.
"Many scientists are sincerely concerned that with sub-optimal double-vaccination numbers and rapidly rising transmission rates, we are at a very dangerous moment in the pandemic. Removing mandates on July 19 will not only accelerate virus transmission, with substantial increased levels of acute illness, hospitalization, and long COVID, but also create the conditions for the emergence of new variants that could escape vaccine protection."
Dr. Eric Topol, an outspoken cardiologist and director of the Scripps Research Translational Unit in La Jolla, California, also signed the letter. "The abrupt rise in UK Delta variant cases will not only engender more long Covid, but has also already resulted in more severe illness, with hospitalizations and deaths. Taking more time to further improve vaccination rates should help reduce the toll of this superspreader strain," Topol said in a statement.
The British Medical Association has also objected to the plans.
According to the British government, 86.4% of residents have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine and 64.6% are fully vaccinated.
More than 32,000 new infections were reported Wednesday, with a sharp increase in new cases reported for July.
NSW has reported 38 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 on Thursday as the state continues to grapple with a widespread outbreak in Sydney.
It is the highest number of daily cases since the outbreak began on June 16 and poses serious questions over contact tracers' ability to get on top of the spread of infection.
Twenty of the latest cases were partly or fully in the community whilst infectious.
"Those numbers are too high," Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned.
She said there needs to be a change in behaviour to ensure cases don't flare further.
"Please stop visiting people indoors, outside your family, your household. Your immediate family means those you live with," Ms Berejiklian said.
"It doesn't mean extended family or friends. That goes across the board across any person who is in lockdown."
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant reiterated the premier's stance, stressing it is "critical we minimise our movements" as the virus was detected across several households.
She clarified family meant those in your household, and visits to relatives in other premises were not permitted.
Concerned about compliance to the lockdown, Dr Chant delivered yet another message to young residents.
"You have a great role to play," she said.
"It is critical that everyone sees themselves at risk."
The source of twelve of the latest cases are under investigation.
HaHaHello
2021-7-8 18:33:41
8,868 new cases and 135 new deaths (new national record) in Malaysia
Keep worsening!
HaHaHello
2021-7-8 19:10:40
38,391 new cases (new national record) and 852 new deaths in Indonesia
Keep worsening rapidly!