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Millions of ‘shielders’ – people considered extremely vulnerable to Covid-19 and their families – in England are, as of Monday, now able to leave the house.
Under new guidelines, people shielding are now allowed to venture outdoors once per day, either with members of their household or one person from another household – as long as social distancing and strict hygiene is maintained.
But after months of going no further than their own front doors, and just weeks after receiving advice that told them to shield until the end of June, households across the country have been left confused by the sudden change in approach – and fearful they still may not be safe.
Mother-of-two Shelley Simmonds and her family have not left their home in Essex for more than 10 weeks, in order to protect her son.
Seven-year-old Fraser has the rare genetic disease Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and associated respiratory weakness, which has left him extremely vulnerable to the virus.
Little more than a week ago Shelley received a letter, dated May 9, which stated: “The safest course of action is for you to stay at home at all times and avoid all face-to-face contact.
“The government is currently advising people to shield until 30th June and is regularly monitoring this position.”
She said the sudden announcement that they could leave the house came as a “total shock”, and fears it will cause confusion amongst many of those most vulnerable to the virus.
“We were told on Thursday that those shielding should carry on shielding, those were Boris’ words,” she explained. “And now overnight it seems like something’s miraculously changed. I can’t say that anybody is going to feel comfortable trusting the government after what has happened so far.
“When you talk to your own healthcare professionals they are specifically telling you to shield until June 30. Our critical healthcare appointments are being cancelled, those such as cardiology and respiratory, yet we are now being told it’s safe to go outside. It’s very contradictory and concerning.
“Until we can resume our usual standards of care received from the NHS, it is too worrying to take any risks.
“We definitely won’t be going out. We haven’t shielded all this time to step outside and take risks.”
A fierce advocate for her son’s independence, Shelley is concerned that vulnerable people like Fraser have become an afterthought.
She has no idea when she’ll be able to return to work at her usual office in London, even once her colleagues have been given the all-clear to return, or when her nine-year-old daughter April could return to school.
Shelley added: “I always advocate for my son being independent and being equal to everybody else and yet it doesn’t feel that we’re being treated that way.
“The vulnerable high risk group of people are being forgotten and excluded.
“It feels like there’s no real plan – we don’t know how long we’re going to be here.”
The government said the change in guidance stems from the substantially lower level of Covid-19 transmission in the country compared to when the lockdown was first introduced.
But charities have urged people to seek proper medical advice before making any changes.
“The way it has announced this on a Saturday night, with no warning or consultation with charities and clinicians, has created confusion,” Gemma Peters, chief executive of Blood Cancer UK said. “Until we get (clarity), we advise people to speak to their healthcare teams before making any changes.”
Sarah Jones, 47, from West Sussex, has not left the house since March. She has had 60 operations over the course of her life, one of which – 14 years ago – was a kidney transplant. Since the procedure she has had to take immunosuppressants, which leave her especially susceptible to viruses such as Covid-19.
Speaking on Sunday, after reports of an upcoming announcement on shielders emerged, she said she was “a little surprised” by the move, adding “I think it’s maybe a bit too soon.”
“On the other hand,” she continued, “it’s not an order. It’s just an option, so if people want to go out and feel safe doing so they can, or they can choose to stay indoors.
“I am planning to wait for a little more detail and for advice from my renal unit – they have been looking after me for fourteen years and I want to protect the gift I’ve been given.
“I wouldn’t walk around the block near my house, but I would consider driving out somewhere really quiet and maybe going out for a walk. It’s a fluid situation – I think everyone will feel more comfortable on some days rather than others.”
Living with her parents, Sarah counts herself as one of the lucky ones. Many of the people she has met through her charity Share Your Wishes – which encourages the public to talk openly about organ donation – live alone and have spent more than two months in total isolation.
“I have never, ever wanted my health to dictate my life,” she said.
“I have never let it, but to be honest at the moment it’s hard not to feel like it is. It really does start to play on your mental health.”
In late February, Ben*, 33, who has an autoimmune disease as well as anxiety, moved in with his parents in order to shield himself. Even as the first cases of coronavirus in the UK became public, he felt increasingly worried that he could fall sick to the virus.
The three have not left their house in St Albans in three months, and have relied on family members to deliver medication and food.
Speaking before the government’s announcement on Sunday evening, he said he spent the first few weeks in lockdown glued to the television, watching with “fear and horror” at the rising death rates across the country.
“I was convinced I was going to die,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep properly for weeks.”
As a public health worker himself, he believes the government’s messaging for vulnerable people has been “woolly” and “frustrating”.
On a personal level, he said his mental health had been affected “profoundly” by the lockdown, and that his anxiety had been “off the charts”. He said he had considered suicide several times in the past few months.
“It’s hard to find any positivity right now,” he said. “There’s just no end in sight.”
Research from Citizens Advice, published on Thursday, showed that four in 10 of those in the shielded group have lost at least 20% of their income since the coronavirus outbreak began. More than a quarter have lost 60% of their income or more.
Some employees, unable to safely work as a result of their vulnerability to the virus, have been denied access to the furlough scheme.
Sarah said: “It’s nobody’s fault that they have these conditions that mean they’re more prone to the virus so we, as a group, really don’t want to be penalised for that.
“I’m ok at the moment, but I’m obviously aware of the issues that could come about for others in a similar position when the support from the furlough scheme stops.
“I do know of people who are financially unstable, and they want to get back to work as soon as possible so they start seeing some income coming back in.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said on Friday that government support for the job retention scheme will then slowly be tapered off until the scheme finishes at the end of October, with employers asked to pay more in national insurance and pension contributions and a proportion of wages.
The Treasury did not respond to a request for comment from HuffPost UK regarding vulnerable people.
While vulnerable people will see a loosening in advice from Monday, secretary of state for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick said on Sunday that the government will review the risks as part of each review of social distancing measures for the wider population.
The next review of shielding measures is set to take place in the week beginning on June 15.
Of the new guidance which allows people to spend time outdoors, he said: “This will enable those shielding to see loved ones like children and grandchildren, something many I know are aching to do.
“Having spent many weeks indoors some will understandably be very cautious and concerned about going outdoors. You should only do what you are comfortable with.”
He added: “If the conditions become less favourable our advice to those being asked to shield will unfortunately need to be tightened. The government will continue to ensure that support is available to those who need it for as long as possible and for as long as people are advised to follow the shielding guidance.”