In an interview on Radio Four today, reported faithfully by the Guardian, Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, urged everyone in the UK to cut down their social contact: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/30/omicron-variant-festive-socialising-uk-health-official-caution.

She has proposed that Christmas parties and other social events in the festive period should not go ahead if they are not necessary, in order to help slow the spread of the new Covid variant.

Harries has previously made similar ‘passion-killing’ suggestions. For example, at a virtual press briefing from Downing Street on March 24, 2020, Dr Harries advised couples who didn't live together to stay apart during UK's coronavirus lockdown or 'test the strength of their relationship and move in together'. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/11245812/jenny-harries-deputy-chief-medical-officer-coronavirus-crisis/

In statement that will puzzle many, she also said that, even if vaccine effectiveness was reduced, booster jabs caused protection to “shoot up” and remained, therefore, a useful step. She did not explain how getting an extra shot of an ineffective vaccine would help, and offered no evidence, but she believes it will, regardless of logic.

Harries holds formal qualifications in pharmacology, medicine, business administration, public health, health economics and strategic commissioning and is apparently highly respected in the field of public health. But, like every other citizen, she has no formal qualifications in value-judgement.

'Not necessary' is not a scientific concept

The misconception – exhibited repeatedly by multiple other health and government officials – is that ‘not necessary’ is an objective fact, rather than a subjective preference.

If you have been planning a Christmas party for months you are likely to think it is ‘necessary’. Indeed there are endless other reasons why you might think a celebration with colleagues is much more desirable than self-isolation to ‘stop the spread’ of a virus variant no-one, including the ‘health officials’, yet understands. Harries may not like parties herself, but is it really her job to persuade others to adopt her personal values?