Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the scientific evidence used to inform his decision to end shielding for the extremely vulnerable during the covid-19 outbreak on 1 August 2020.

The decision to pause shielding was taken based on the falling prevalence of the disease in the community. As of 22 June 2020, the infection rate in the community had fallen from 1 in 500 people to 1 in 1,700 people (Office for National Statistics COVID-19 Infection Survey). The rates of the virus are now low enough to allow for our advice to be carefully and safely eased and relax shielding.