February 10, 2022 4.00 pm This story is over 25 months old

Lincolnshire mum shielding with vulnerable daughter worried about lifting COVID restrictions

Self-isolation rules could end a month early

A Lincolnshire mum who has been shielding with her clinically extremely vulnerable daughter for the last two years is concerned about plans for the remaining coronavirus restrictions to be lifted at the end of the month.

The PM Boris Johnson said during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday that he will outline the government’s new strategy for living with the virus upon returning from parliamentary recess on February 21. If his plans go ahead, it would mean self-isolation regulations expiring just over a month earlier than originally planned.

However, Lorna Fillingham’s 11-year-old daughter Emily-May has been shielding at home since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and being home-schooled. Emily-May uses a wheelchair and has a rare genetic condition called Baraitser-Winter syndrome, and is classed as clinically extremely vulnerable.

Emily-May, who has now done more than 650 days of home-schooling, has only recently been offered her first coronavirus jab, but as the vaccines are going to be eight weeks apart it will still be longer until she is fully protected, something that worries her mum with the planned easing of restrictions looming.

Lorna, who is a disability rights campaigner from Scunthorpe, told BBC Look North: “It’s left us in a bit of a tricky situation really because my daughter is still classed as clinically extremely vulnerable. She has had to shield from school for the last two years now.”

Lorna also believes there have been “lots of mixed messages” about the government guidance, saying there was nothing in the last briefing about clinically extremely vulnerable people.

This comes after a YouGov poll showed 75% believe self-isolation requirement should be in place for at least the next few months, according to the Daily Mail.