One in five Britons would now support the reintroduction of a Covid lockdown – even if the worst of the pandemic is over.
Shock research among 2,000 adults showed that a fifth would support the government if it instructed people to only leave their home for essential shopping, an hour of exercise and work.
This is similar to what happened during Britain's full lockdown. During the darkest days of the pandemic, Britons were threatened with £200 fines if they were caught flouting the stay-at-home order.
Experts told MailOnline the results were 'disturbing' and said it showed the effectiveness of 'project fear'.
Ministers believed such restrictions were necessary to prevent NHS hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.
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But experts insist brutal curbs – proven to have devastated the economy and crippled the healthcare system – are no longer necessary thanks to Britain's immunity wall.
Vaccines and repeated waves of infection are making the virus circulating today more similar to the flu, as opposed to the deadly disease that caused panic when it emerged in China in late 2019.
The new research, carried out by research group More in Common, shows that a fifth of Britons would also support any government decision to force pubs and restaurants to close again.
The catering industry was closed for months at a time during the Covid crisis and a tenth of the entire sector has been permanently closed since March 2020.
About four in 10 would also be in favor of wearing masks on public transport, the survey found.
Nearly half of Gen Generation Z (18 to 24 years old) was the least likely to support this at 41 percent.
Millennials – people aged 25 to 40 – were the most likely to support a lockdown (28 per cent), while those over 75 were the least likely to support it (14 per cent).
There were also patterns of support between different parts of the country.
Those from London and the North East who took part in the survey were the least likely to oppose the introduction of Covid restrictions at this time.
At the other end of the spectrum, the East Midlands and South West were the least likely to accept these being imposed.
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The results are based on responses from 2,033 people in Britain surveyed between November 30 and December 4.
They were asked whether they would support or oppose the Government bringing back Covid restrictions 'at this time'.
Health chiefs have warned of high demands on the NHS due to typical winter pressures, including seasonal insufficiency, staff absenteeism and demand for emergency care.
New strikes by trainee doctors, demanding higher pay, will put further pressure on the healthcare system.
However, Covid is causing a fraction of admissions compared to previous years.
In the week leading up to December 1, just 2,064 infected patients were admitted to hospitals in England. For comparison, the figure for the same week was 3,936 in 2022, 4,624 in 2021 and 8,614 in 2020.
Experts have warned that a new wave could be caused by a new variant called JN.1, which has taken off in Britain and has mutations that help it evade protection from vaccines and previous infections. However, scientists have also warned that new waves of infections are to be expected.
Ed Hodgson, associate at More in Common, told MailOnline: 'While the majority of the public clearly do not support the reintroduction of the most restrictive Covid measures, there are significant minorities who do.
'Although many people in Britain have many negative memories of the lockdown, in our focus groups we also consistently find groups of people looking back nostalgically on that time – enjoying the slower pace of life that the lockdown brought, or the time that they cared about spending time with their family or focusing on personal projects…
However, Covid is causing a fraction of admissions compared to previous years. In the week before December 1, just 2,064 infected patients were admitted to hospitals in England. For comparison, the figure for the same week was 3,936 in 2022, 4,624 in 2021 and 8,614 in 2020 (shown in graph)
Support was highest for wearing masks on public transport, with 45 percent saying they would support the government ordering people to wear face coverings. Nearly half of Gen Generation Z was the least likely to support this (41 percent)
Survey results show the split was the same for closing pubs and restaurants (20 percent support versus 72 percent opposed), with highest support among millennials and Gen Z – who are aged between 18 and 24 – and lowest among older British
'That said, it must be emphasized that support for these measures in the abstract does not always translate into support in real life when the impact of such policies becomes more apparent.
'What the polls do show is that some citizens are surprisingly receptive to tougher action.'
Professor Keith Willison, an outspoken Covid commentator and chair of chemical biology at Imperial College London, told MailOnline: 'It is worrying that 20 per cent of British adults feel this way about reintroducing lockdown restrictions.
'It shows the effectiveness of the 'project fear' that was initiated four years ago now, and that unfortunately does not surprise me.
'It will take many years to recover from the lockdown disaster.
'Lockdown has irrevocably changed our working patterns, our trust in medical experts and many other aspects of our society and wellbeing.
'Project anxiety' has also contributed to the rise of the work-from-home lifestyle, which many office workers are now embracing.
'It would be interesting to know whether such people are over-represented in the 20 percent calling for a return to restrictions.'
A quarter (23 percent) of people said they would support rules that only allow people to meet others outdoors and in groups of up to six people.
This restriction was most popular among millennials (29 percent) and least popular among those over 75 (18 percent).