The UK on Saturday imposed strict restrictions on coronavirus for millions of people, in response to calls from Scottish and Northern Ireland authorities for tougher measures to try to curb a new variant of the virus that is thought to be spreading more speed.
Northern Ireland began a six-week confinement, while in Wales restrictions were imposed that had been relaxed by Christmas.
The number of people below the maximum level of restrictions in England – level 4 – increased by six million on Saturday, to around 24 million in total, around 43% of the country’s population. The region included London and surrounding areas.
Authorities have banned meetings between people from different households and non-essential travel. Gyms, swimming pools, hairdressers and non-essential product shops were forced to close, while bars and restaurants can only offer takeaway service. Business groups noted that the restrictions will be economically devastating for their members.
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Another 570 deaths from COVID-19 in a 24-hour period were reported on Saturday, bringing the total in Britain to 70,195, the second worst in Europe – just below Italy. Britain also reported more than 32,700 new cases of the virus at Christmas.
Fears about the new British variant have caused a week of chaos at the border. Around 1,000 British soldiers spent Christmas trying to clear up a huge build-up of trucks stranded in the south-east of England after France briefly closed its border with the UK and demanded negative coronavirus test results in all drivers.
But British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Saturday that more than 15,000 drivers had been tested and that the delay at the test site at Manston Airport was resolved by Sunday morning. Only 36 positive cases of these tests were reported, he noted on Twitter.
The first cases of the new British variant of the virus have now been detected in France and Spain.