Coronavirus: Stop passing the buck, top scientist tells politicians

Date:

Ministers should not say “we are simply doing what scientists tell us” over coronavirus and be more open about the advice they have received, the incoming president of the Royal Society has told The Times.

Sir Adrian Smith, a statistician, said that the “extraordinary amounts of uncertainty” with new viruses had been played down in a political environment where ministers felt they needed to appear decisive.

He said that any backlash over the handling of the coronavirus outbreak would not be aimed at the scientists because politicians made the decisions.

Sir Adrian said he expected that his term leading Britain’s most distinguished scientific society, which begins in November, would be marked by an in-depth review into Britain’s response and there was a risk that scientists would be drawn into a blame game.

“The danger is if the politicians keep saying, ‘We’re simply doing what the scientists tell us’. That could be awkward. Politicians ultimately must make the decisions,” he said.

Read full article here.

Tom Whipple – The Times – May 19, 2020.

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