The report, which was written for the SAGE advisory group this morning reports the incidence as a “reasonable worst-case scenario”.
The report said that there could be 81,000 excess deaths in England and Wales, with a further 2,600 in Scotland and 1,900 in Northern Ireland between July and March 2021.
The document, which was first obtained by Newsnight, set out a scenario if schools were reopened but other lockdown restrictions were reimposed from November for several months.
A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “As a responsible government we have been planning and continue to prepare for a wide range of scenarios, including the reasonable worst-case scenario.
“Our planning is not a prediction of what will happen. It reflects a responsible government ensuring we are ready for all eventualities.”
It comes as Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union warned that Universities could become “the care homes of any second wave of COVID”.
She also accused the government of a lack of planning as thousands of students are expected on campuses in the next few weeks.
“So the very people who are increasingly getting infected are being encouraged to move around the country and congregate and live together.
“It doesn’t make sense.”
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8am update: India cases still at a record high after five days
India reported 78,512 new novel coronavirus infections today, slightly fewer than its record set the previous day when it posted the biggest, single-day tally of infections of any country in the pandemic.
On Sunday, India’s total of 78,761 new cases exceeded the previous record of 77,299 in the United States on July 16.
India, the world’s second-most populous country, has been posting the highest single-day caseload in the world every day since Aug. 7, exceeding the tallies of both the United States and Brazil.
