The government’s surprise announcement that more than 2 million of the most vulnerable people in England will be allowed outside from Monday lacks any scientific rationale and amounts to a public relations exercise, a leading virus expert has said. Dr Stephen Griffin, an associate professor at the University of Leeds’ school of medicine, said the relaxation of measures for shielders – those most at risk from severe Covid-19 symptoms – “seems to lack any obvious rationale other than to add to an ongoing ‘good news’ narrative that appears to have little grounding in reality”. GPs also criticised the advice, saying that it was changed without consulting them and did not make clear whether vulnerable people could now receive treatment in surgeries. Ministers’ announcement on Sunday that the rules to protect about 2.2 million of the most vulnerable people sparked confusion among groups that represent them. People classed clinically as extremely vulnerable will be able to go outside with members of their household from Monday, while continuing to follow physical distancing guidelines. Those who live alone will be allowed to meet one person from another household outdoors. Groups including the Relatives and Residents Association, which represents people in care homes, had called for steps towards lifting the tightest restrictions on the most vulnerable people because of fears for their mental health, but the move came faster than many expected. Rob Burley, the director of campaigns at Muscular Dystrophy UK, said advice to shield people with muscle-wasting conditions was already confusing, but that the sudden change risked making things worse. “We are now faced with further confusion about why the advice has changed so suddenly when only a few weeks ago the government’s recovery strategy said shielding would have to remain in place for a further period,” he said. Phil Anderson, the head of policy at the MS Society, said his organisation was extremely concerned that the news had come out of the blue. “People who are extremely vulnerable will rightly want to hear a lot more about the scientific evidence showing this will be safe for them.” Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, a deputy chief medical officer for England, said at the Downing Street press conference on Saturday that the UK was at a “very dangerous moment” with coronavirus infections poised to rebound “like a coiled spring … if we don’t stay on top of it”. The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) estimated that the R number was 0.7-0.9 on Friday. If the number is above 1, it means the epidemic is growing again. Responding to the lifting of restrictions for the most vulnerable people, Dr Rachel Clarke, a palliative care expert in Oxford, tweeted: “Why on earth would you announce this without first communicating with primary care teams? Do headlines mean more than best patient care?” GPs said “extreme caution” was needed particularly for patients with cancer and serious long term conditions including respiratory and heart disease. “The latest government advice ... is not a ‘green light’ allowing us to return to our previous way of life and there is a very real risk that all the good work we have achieved so far in the battle against Covid-19 could be very swiftly undone, with very serious consequences,” said Prof Martin Marshall, the chair of the Royal College of GPs. “We would encourage all our patients, but particularly those who are shielded, to remain vigilant and not to fall into unhealthy patterns of behaviour as a result of this latest stage in the easing of restrictions.” Dr Richard Vautrey, chairman of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, said it remained unclear whether shielded people were not allowed to visit doctors’ surgeries for routine medical treatment, which GPs believe could be safer in terms of infection spread than clinicians paying house visits. “We hadn’t been informed directly about [the new guidance],” he said. “The strong advice had been that patients should receive all of their healthcare in their home setting wherever possible.” In fact, NHS England guidance to GPs updated on Friday, made no mention of lifting the lockdown on shielded people and repeated the long-term position “to shield themselves and stay at home”. However, Vautree said it was welcome that shielded people should be allowed out, when they were physically distanced, because it could improve their mental health and boost their levels vitamin D. News bulletins at the weekend were full of footage of packed beaches and seafronts, with people apparently not adhering to continued orders to remain physically distanced, as the UK basked in sunshine. Justifying the lifting of restrictions for the most vulnerable people, the communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, said: “Incidence rates of coronavirus are now significantly lower than before these measures were put in place. “That’s why we are focused on finding the right balance between continuing to protect those at the greatest clinical risk, whilst easing restrictions on their daily lives to make the difficult situation more bearable, particularly enabling the contact with loved ones they and we all seek.” Boris Johnson, the prime minister, said: “We have been looking at how we can make life easier for our most vulnerable, so today I am happy to confirm that those who are shielding will be able to spend time outside with someone else, observing social distance guidelines. I will do what I can, in line with the scientific advice, to continue making life easier for you over the coming weeks and months.”