But Oxford University researcher Toby Phillips suggests Eat Out to Help Out may have contributed to a 'rapid acceleration' in reported infections and encouraged 'extravagant' behaviour. He wrote in the Conversation: "By the start of August, restaurant attendance had already bounced back to near 2019 levels,' the report reads. Toby Phillips says the rise in cases can be pinpointed to the exact date the Eat Out to help Out scheme was launched. "Transmission rates were already creeping up in early August, before there could have been any effect from the Eat Out scheme. The UK needs to act fast to stop coronavirus cases growing out of control, with a delay of even a few days potentially "dangerous", according to an academic who advises the Government.

Source: Daily Mirror September 13, 2020 09:59 UTC