More than 20 million people have been confined to England since Sunday when strict restrictive measures came into force due to the alarming increase in cases of covid-19, which the British government links to a new strain.
The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on Saturday imposed draconian measures for London and large areas of the south-east of England, which from today are at risk level 4 -serious-, with the closure of stores non-essentials, gyms, hairdressers, as well as the ban on moving to other areas of the country.
With these rules, the flexible plans authorized by the Government between 22 and 28 December have also been modified so that families and friends can get together for Christmas.
Those living at level 4 will not be able to join other people living at lower levels, while the rest of England who are between levels 1 to 3 – below, moderately and substantially, this flexibility will be reserved only for the Christmas Day, a measure that will also apply in Scotland and Wales.
The rules set in England will last two weeks and will be reviewed on 30 December.
A REVERSE FOR CHRISTMAS FACE SHOPS
London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the BBC on Sunday that the government’s last-minute announcement was a “hard blow” to families and businesses and had caused “anxiety, despair, sadness and disappointment”. for thousands of people.
“I’m afraid this makes it really hard for people like me to ask people to listen to us when we’re changing our minds,” Khan said when complaining that the Central Executive may have introduced such measures. before families made plans and purchases to celebrate Christmas.
However, the mayor urged Londoners to abide by the rules, mainly because hospitals in London have the same number of patients with covid-19 as in the first wave in April.
The streets of central London were very busy on Saturday with thousands of people doing Christmas shopping.
A NEW STICK THAT SPREADS MORE EASILY
The United Kingdom has informed the World Trade Organization (WHO) of the emergence of the new variant of the coronavirus, although there is no evidence that it could cause more deaths or have an impact on the effectiveness of vaccines already developed.
Scientists have warned that this strain is more infectious and spreads more easily, which could increase the R-the reproductive number of an infectious disease.
The R is currently across the UK between 1.1 and 1.2, implying an “exponential” spread of viruses.
Government Scientific Director Patrick Vallance has indicated that the strain – known as VUI 202012/01 – may have originated in London or Kent (south-east England) in September.
“This new variant is not only advancing rapidly but is becoming the dominant variant,” he added.