Carol McGiffin says lockdown is 'no longer about a virus' as she criticises COVID-19 restrictions
Loose Women regular Carol McGiffin has claimed the national lockdown is "no longer about a virus" in a Twitter thread criticising the current COVID-19 restrictions.
The 61-year-old broadcaster tweeted on Friday to mark her final appearance on the show before the first national lockdown forced it to adopt a socially distanced format.
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McGiffin noted that she commented on that show about her scepticism around whether a lockdown would actually suppress the virus.
She added that the country has "lost its collective marbles over a virus with a 99+% survival rate" and said freedoms are being lost.
"So much damage has been done by these endless and largely unnecessary restrictions that it seems almost irreparable," McGiffin said.
One year ago today I was on @loosewomen for the final time before the destruction of life as we knew it began. On that show I said we SHOULD NOT lock down because it won't work, the virus won't go away, and it will never end. No one agreed with me and I was widely criticised.
— Carol McGiffin (@McGiff) March 19, 2021
seems like a fantasy, and so much damage has been done by these endless and largely unnecessary restrictions that it seems almost irreparable. And yet, too many people still support more of the same and worse, believing that it's all worth it if it means we 'beat' the virus.
— Carol McGiffin (@McGiff) March 19, 2021
So, in an effort to be optimistic I'm going to make another prediction that soon, the people who can't see what some of us have seen from the start will open their eyes and join the enlightened who say #EndTheLockdowns #EnoughIsEnough #NoNewNormal and this time I hope I AM right.
— Carol McGiffin (@McGiff) March 19, 2021
McGiffin concluded by suggesting that the continued lockdown restrictions prove that "this is no longer about a virus any more than the vaccine is about protecting those who need it".
The broadcaster has been a prominent critic of lockdown restrictions and earlier this month commented on Stephen Fry's vaccination at Westminster Abbey by tweeting that "COVID and vaccines are being accepted as the new religion".
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She said in July that she finds face masks "invasive and uncomfortable" and spoke of her mental health struggles during the first national lockdown last year.
Her fellow Loose Women panellist Denise Welch has also been critical of lockdown restrictions and was involved in a charged row with Piers Morgan last year over the lifting of distancing rules.
The government is currently moving through its planned road map for the lifting of lockdown restrictions, with schools in England now open to all pupils.
The next phase of easing is due to take place on 29 March, when up to six people — or two households — will be able to meet socially outdoors.
Read more: Lockdown easing dates for your diary
Subsequently, the second stage of easing is due to take place from 12 April, at the earliest, and could see shops, gyms, hair salons and numerous outdoor venues open their doors.
Boris Johnson has confirmed the road map is currently due to go ahead as planned, despite an upcoming decrease in the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses available in this country.
Watch: Stephen Fry receives COVID-19 vaccine at Westminster Abbey