A bus passes a sign showing government-imposed measures against the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the first day of a recently imposed closure, in London, UK, on 5 November 2020.
John Sibley | Reuters
LONDON – The British government on Wednesday outlined plans to impose stricter coronavirus restrictions on millions of people across England as a new strain of the virus spread across the country.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said more regions would be placed in the toughest level 4 category as of 12:01 a.m. London Thursday.
“This new variant is spreading through most of England and cases are rapidly doubling,” Hancock told the House of Commons. “Therefore, it is necessary to apply level 4 measures to a wider area, including the remaining parts of the south-east, as well as large parts of the middle, north-west, north-east and south-west areas.”
The move will mean three-quarters of the population will be at level 4 by the new year, Hancock said.
Restrictions, which include a “stay home” order, mean people should not leave home unless they have a reasonable excuse. Businesses, including non-essential shops, gyms and hairdressers, must close.
The announcement comes shortly after the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine was authorized for emergency use in the UK. It is believed that the vaccine will allow the UK to significantly increase its inoculation program.
“We need to vaccinate as soon as supply allows after the necessary security checks, of course, and the NHS is poised to accelerate large-scale deployment from Monday 4 January,” Hancock said.
He added: “We have a total of 100 million doses on order, which combined with the Pfizer vaccine are enough to vaccinate all adults in the UK, with both doses.”
Anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one, said Hancock, who added that the UK will have 530,000 doses available from Monday, with millions more to pay for Astra-Zeneca in early February.
Government data show that infection rates have risen sharply across England over the past week, with significant pressure on hospitals.
There were 53,135 new cases of Covid in the UK on Tuesday, the highest increase in a single day since mass trials began.
According to reports, the new variant of coronavirus found in the UK is more transmissible and has led to travel restrictions for people who want to leave the country. The new strain, known as SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01 in the scientific community, could be up to 70% more transmissible, said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
U.S. health officials on Wednesday confirmed the first case of the new strain. Several other countries have also identified the variant variety in recent weeks.