ngland is betting on a third national blockade in the new year in an attempt to contain the mutant variant of coronavirus that is on the rise across the UK.
The measures are likely to take effect in early January.
Government scientific advisers have warned that inaction could cost “tens of thousands of lives” and risk an “economic, human and social disaster” as the highly contagious strain of the virus spreads across the country.
Infectious Diseases Expert Andrew Hayward, a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group (Sage), called on ministers to “act decisively” as he warned that the UK was entering a “really critical phase”. of this pandemic, ”The Guardian reported.
Asked whether a new national closure was advisable, Professor Hayward of University College London (UCL) said in a briefing on Monday: “Personally, I think it is clearer to give a consistent national message because, although the Risk levels are different in different parts of the country, they are still there and they are still substantial.
“Essentially, what we’re really doing is trying to reduce transmission until we can protect as many vulnerable people as possible and that would buy us many more weeks in which we could vaccinate people.”
UCL professor Robert West, who is part of Sage’s behavioral science advisory group, said he believed the current tiered system was unlikely to contain the spread of the disease.
He said Britain needed to “re-establish our strategy”, adding: “This will involve stricter but more rational rules of social distancing across the country and ultimately doing what we should have done from the beginning: building the type of test, travel, isolation, and support programs they have in Far Eastern countries.
“It sounds expensive, but the alternative could be a catastrophic collapse in confidence in the country’s ability to control the virus and the economic, human and social disaster that would result.”
Coronavirus: London enters level 3: in pictures
The imminent extension of Level 4 measures across England follows a bleak assessment by England’s top scientific adviser.
Sir Patrick Vallance said that although the final decision was in the hands of the ministers, cases had spread “everywhere” and the country should prepare for new restrictions.
“The evidence for this virus is that it spreads easily,” he said. “It’s more transmissible, we have to make sure we have the right level of restrictions.
“I think it’s likely that this will grow in number of variants across the country, and I think it’s therefore likely that measures will need to be increased in some places, in due course, not reduced.”
What is the new variant of Covid?
More than 40 countries have now banned arrivals from the UK to try to curb the spread of the new Covid variant.
France closed the border with the United Kingdom for 48 hours from Sunday, causing delays for cargo trucks heading across the Channel.
Brexit trucks parked on M20: in pictures
The closure of multi-channel routes alarmed companies, including those who rely on the smooth passage of products to the UK, as well as holidaymakers who want to leave the continent, all with the added complication of the end of the Brexit transition period to 31 of December.
The Northern Ireland Executive held a late-night emergency meeting amid a debate over whether to introduce a travel ban in Britain, proposed by Sinn Fein but rejected by the UK. ‘executive.
The supermarket giant Sainsbury’s warned that the disruption in Kent could affect supplies of lettuce, some salad leaves, cauliflower, broccoli and citrus, which are imported into continental Europe in the winter.
