DECISIONS about the lifting of restrictions for the coronavirus would be best made locally.

This is the view of Professor Russel Cheng, a statistical expert who lives in Ludlow.

He says that this is a better approach than a ‘one size fits all’ edict from central Government.

“Regarding the lifting of lockdown, I would argue, that it would be best done stepwise and devolved to regional even local authorities which could take prompt sensible account of local circumstances,” said Professor Chang.

“Of course, central government would have overall control. But the latter has enough aspects of national life to balance, not least the financial one.

“Financially, in implementing government policy and I know from my past advisory work, a single life lost unexpectedly as in fires and road deaths is presently set at £1.8 million, but this is an overall average and not age dependent.

“Based on this figure but taking into account age profiles both of population size and risk of death if contracting Covid-19, the value of each life saved by lockdown comes out rather less at £630,000.

“Even so this would mean every 100,000 lives saved by lockdown was worth £63 billion.