The UK’s chief science adviser suggested allowing the coronavirus to spread to build immunity. Government ministers said they’ll promote self-isolation instead.
英国首席科学顾问建议让冠状病毒传播来获得群体免疫。部长们说要采取相反的措施，鼓励自我隔离。
The United Kingdom is previewing a new self-isolation plan for all people over 70 to address the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, following backlash over a proposal to promote immunity by allowing up to 60 percent of its population to become infected.
英国正在测评针对所有70岁以上的人的新的自我隔离计划，来阻止新型冠状病毒在该国传播。此前曾有过让60%的国人感染病毒来形成群体免疫的提议，遭到了强烈反对。
Last Friday, the UK government’s chief science adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said on BBC Radio 4 that one of “the key things we need to do” is to “build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission.”
上周五，英国政府的首席科学顾问帕特里克·瓦兰斯爵士在BBC Radio 4上说“我们需要做的很重要的一件事”就是要“建立一种群体免疫，让更多的人对这种疾病免疫，从而减少传播。”
But last Sunday, Matt Hancock, the UK secretary of state for health and social care, stressed that achieving herd immunity to Covid-19 is not a stated policy. Instead, he said that “in the coming weeks,” people over the age of 70 will be told to self-isolate. This stands in contrast with World Health Organization guidelines, which recommend that everyone, regardless of age, practice social distancing.
但上周日，英国卫生和社会保障大臣Matt Hancock强调说对新型冠状病毒产生群体免疫这一政策还未确定。相反，他说“未来几周”会要求70岁以上的人进行自我隔离。这有悖于世界卫生组织的指导方针，世卫组织建议所有人都要扩大社交距离，不分年龄。
“What we will do is listen to all the credible scientists and we will look at all the evidence,” he said. “Herd immunity is not our goal or policy, it’s a scientific concept.”
他说：“我们要听可靠的科学家的话，要看证据。群体免疫并非我们的目标，也不是我们的政策，这只是一个科学概念。”
The UK has faced questions over the efficacy of its social distancing guidance — for instance, at a press conference last Thursday, where government officials, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, would not specify whether large public gatherings, including football matches, would be canceled.
英国扩大社交距离的建议的有效性也有一些问题，比如在上周四的新闻发布会上，首相鲍里斯·约翰逊等政府官员并未具体说明足球比赛等大型公众集会是否会取消。
Chris Whitty, the UK’s chief medical officer for England, said Thursday that holding off on recommending the sort of social distancing other countries have encouraged was a strategic decision, arguing that imposing it “too early” would cause people to become exhausted and stop participating in it.
英国首席医疗官Chris Whitty周四说延期推荐其他国家鼓励的那种扩大社交距离是一个战略决定，他认为“过早”实施会导致人们很疲惫，不会再参与抗击病毒。
