British Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a complete closure in London, saying on Saturday that Christmas celebrations cannot move forward and that non-essential retailers must temporarily close amid a rapidly rising rate of coronavirus infection.
The state of play: London, the south-east and the east of England, which are currently at level 3, will impose level 4 restrictions from Sunday. Johnson said the wait for Christmas Day will be canceled – a planned postponement of restrictions that would allow up to three homes to be gathered in “Christmas bubbles” – for level 4 areas.
- The British government urges people to stay home and advises people to work from home whenever possible.
- People will not be allowed to enter or enter Level 4 areas and residents are prohibited from traveling abroad.
- Retail services, indoor gyms, leisure facilities and personal care services will be closed.
- Religious meetings will be allowed to continue.
- Social gatherings should be limited, while people living in level 4 areas are encouraged to stay in their homes.
What it says: “Yesterday afternoon I was informed of the latest data showing that the virus is spreading faster in London, the south-east and the east of England than was expected given the harsh restrictions that already exist,” he said. said Johnson.
- “It looks like now the spread is being driven by the new variant of the virus,” Johnson continued. “Our advisory group on new and emerging respiratory threats, NERVTAG, has spent the last few days analyzing this new variant: there is no evidence that it causes more serious illness or higher mortality, but it appears to be transmitted significantly more easily.”
- “While there is considerable uncertainty, it can be up to 70% more communicable than the old variant, the original version of the disease.”
- “There is no evidence to indicate that the vaccine is less effective against the new variant.”
- “When the virus changes its method of attack, we have to change our method of defense,” Johnson said. “We have to act on the information as we have it, because it’s spreading very quickly now.”
The big picture: Johnson held an emergency meeting with his cabinet on Saturday to agree on the latest restrictions. British health officials have shared data on the suspected strain with the World Health Organization, the prime minister said in his announcement.
It should be noted: “The new measures, which will take effect late Saturday night, are effectively designed to cut off the capital and its counties from the rest of England, “the New York Times writes.” These are the most severe measures the government has taken since it imposed a blockade on the country in March and reflect fears that the new variant could overload the virus transmission as the winter takes advantage. “
By numbers: The UK has more than 1.9 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 66,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
- The country reported 28,560 daily cases on Friday.