When the water is poured in quickly, the bottle soon overflows. Photo / You Tube
When the water is poured in quickly, the bottle soon overflows. Photo / You Tube
A British man's simple backyard video explanation of his government's controversial approach to managing the coronavirus has struck a chord with viewers in the UK and across the globe.
Podiatrist Robert Isaacs posted a video to his You Tube channel in an attempt to explain UK policy, using a bucket of water and a plastic bottle with a small spout.
"There's been a few people talking about the government strategy on Covid and wondering why we're not shutting everything down now," Isaacs explains.
"Italy has done it, everyone else has done it. Why are we not doing it?
Isaacs then shows the bucket full of water to represent the total UK population and the small bottle to represent the capacity of the UK's National Health Service, with the water exiting from the spout representing those who recover from the virus.
Isaacs shows how the UK health system can cope with a steady rate of infections. Photo / You Tube
Filling the bottle slowly, he explains that a steady rate of cases will allow the health system to cope.
A sudden rush of water quickly fills the bottle, as he makes the point that a fast rise in cases would overwhelm the nation's hospitals.
When the water is poured in quickly, the bottle soon overflows. Photo / You Tube
He explains: "The reason we are not isolating now is that to try and stop it at this point - when there's only a matter of 500 confirmed cases; 10,000 cases total; a matter of tens or twenties in intensive care. This is the wrong time to slow it down."
Isaacs goes on to say: "The plan for the next few weeks is to allow some infections to happen but not over-top [the bottle].
"At that point when it's right at the top [when the NHS is at capacity], now this is where you need the quarantine.
"That's the point at which we need to slow it down."
If we quarantine at this stage, then it will be great and will slow the infection down for the next few months, but, the bucket remains full.
"And as soon as we stop the quarantine, that will pour back in and over-top - and we would have lost our ability to get people to stay at home and slow it down when we really need to."
Isaacs posted a comment below the video, underlining why he decided to create and post it.
"This strategy is not my idea. I'm a podiatrist not an epidemiologist, but it's a very good time to listen to and amplify the people who ARE experts."
VirusFacts2
Since the video was posted, the UK has ramped its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
It has signalled plans to escalate virus-fighting measures, in a sign the country is edging closer to tactics adopted by its European neighbours that it has resisted.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the British government plans to set out emergency powers this week to deal with the viral outbreak. They include requiring the elderly to self-isolate, quarantining people who are sick but refuse to isolate themselves and banning big public gatherings.
Britain has been taking a different approach from countries across Europe and around the world by declining to heavily restrict everyday activities or introduce "social distancing" measures.
The UK strategy is based on the presumption most people will eventually get the Covid-19 virus, and severe measures to contain it are unlikely to work.
But as infections rise in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so has criticism of the government's approach from Prime Minister Boris Johnson's political opponents, some scientists, and an increasingly worried population.
The plan would give the government powers to ban big public assemblies, he told Sunday morning news shows.
"We will do the right thing at the right time," Hancock told the BBC. "We will publish the bill this week coming, we will change the law so that we take the power to be able to close mass gatherings if we need to."
Other measures include requiring people over 70 to self-isolate for up to four months, he said.
"We also need to take steps to protect the vulnerable, and we set out in the plan how we would be prepared to do that and to advise the elderly and the vulnerable who are most at risk from this virus to protect themselves, to shield themselves by self isolating," Hancock told Sky News. "And we'll be setting out when that's necessary."
Hancock said authorities would be able to act if people are sick but refuse to self-isolate.
