The UK government’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme, which saw diners receive a state-backed discount on meals and soft drinks in pubs and restaurants in August 2020, has come under scrutiny due to potential links with the spread of Covid-19. The scheme was aimed at protecting hospitality industry jobs affected by the pandemic, but government scientists claim they were not consulted and suggest it may have led to increased infections and deaths. Bereaved families have criticised Chancellor Rishi Sunak for his “callous and reckless attitude”, though Mr Sunak denied a link between the scheme and the spread of the virus in September 2020.
The scheme cost £840m and covered 160 million meals, according to booking site OpenTable. Although restaurant reservations were up by more than half on the previous August, some extra bookings on Mondays to Wednesdays may have been people choosing different nights to eat out. A study by the University of Warwick suggested a link between use of the scheme and Covid-19’s spread, estimating that it might have increased August cases by up to 20%. The Autumn wave of the virus began in September.
The scheme may have reversed government messaging regarding Covid-19 risks, but though deaths involving the virus did rise in September, the total increase was small compared with that to the January 2021 peak. A total of 36,000 deaths involved Covid-19 that month. Scientists involved in government advisory body Sage said the scheme likely had little impact on the course of the pandemic. The inquiry into the UK’s handling of Covid-19 is set to examine the scheme, but government scientists have said they were not asked to model its impact
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