Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) short and (b) long term effects of a potential further national covid-19 lockdown on the (i) physical and (ii) mental health of the population.

When making decisions on any COVID-19 restrictions the Government assess a wide range of data. At the core is an assessment of the rate of transmission, infection and death rate however, a wide range of other impacts are also assessed including the physical and mental health of the population. We understand how difficult the first national lockdown was for people and want to avoid the need for one by taking a localised approach as seen through the local alert levels.

The Government is also absolutely committed to only having restrictions in place for as long as is necessary to protect public health, acknowledging the impact that they have on people’s lives.

The evidence considered by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and used to support the Government’s response to COVID-19 is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scientific-evidence-supporting-the-government-response-to-coronavirus-covid-19