Boris Johnson extends lockdown to much of England to curb the coronavirus

Photographer: Jason Alden / Bloomberg

Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed stricter rules across much of England in an effort to combat the mutant strain of the coronavirus that is rapidly spreading across the country.

Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, most of Hampshire and the rest of Essex will be subject to the strictest rules in the 4-tier system from 00:01 on December 26th. government, health secretary Matt Hancock said in a news conference Wednesday.

They join London and South East England, meaning non-essential stores will have to close, further limiting conviviality.

UK reports 39,237 new virus cases, most since the start of a pandemic

The new variant “is spreading at a dangerous pace,” said Hancock, who estimated the rise in the number of cases at 57% in the past week. “The direction is clear and in many cases quite grim.”

The government is struggling to get the virus back under control after the new mutant strain began to spread rapidly in London and surrounding areas.

After a UK lockdown halted the growth in infections last month, the virus has since resumed spreading exponentially, at risk of overwhelming the National Health Service as cases rise.

More cash

Separately, the treasury announced £ 800 million ($ 1.1 billion) in fresh money for the decentralized administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to help them support businesses and workers during the pandemic. That brings to £ 16.8 billion the total extra money announced by regional governments since the March budget.

The Treasury is saving £ 280 billion in the current fiscal year to tackle the virus and support businesses and employees. But the pressure for Finance Minister Rishi Sunak is mounting to spend even more, not least from the hospitality industry he chose. special assistance during the summer.

“These urgent restrictive measures require equally urgent accompanying financial support for companies, many more of which have been thrown into commercial failure,” said Kate Nicholls, UKHospitality Chief Executive Officer. “The ceaseless hammering of hospitality businesses needs to be followed up with an equally exaggerated series of supports.”

The UK reported 39,237 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, the largest daily increase since the start of the pandemic. A further 744 deaths were reported within 28 days of a positive test, the highest number since the end of April.

New varieties

While preachers hold on hope That a vaccination program started this month means restrictions could be relaxed in the spring, Hancock warned that the new mutation is complicating things.

“This Christmas and the beginning of 2021 will be difficult,” he said. “The new variant makes everything much more difficult because it spreads so much faster.”

The new coronavirus variant, which surfaced in South East England in September, has alarmed scientists and governments around the world as early analysis suggests it is a whopping 70% more transmissible than other circulating strains. Countries, including France, have temporarily halted travel from the UK in response.

Hancock also said two new cases of an even more transmissible variant from South Africa have been discovered in the UK so far. He told people who have recently returned from South Africa to go into quarantine.

Action	Place
Move to level 4	Rest of Essex, Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Waverley in Surrey and Hampshire (including Portsmouth and Southampton, but excluding the New Forest)
Move to level 3	Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Swindon, Isle of Wight, New Forest, Nothamptonshire, Cheshire and Warrington
Move to level 2	Cornwall, Herefordshire

The latest decision means that as of December 26, 24 million people will be in level 4, 25 million in level 3, and 7 million in level 2. The just over 2,000 inhabitants of the Isles of Scilly off the southwest coast will be the only ones. people left in tier 1 in England.

In the UK, the reproductive factor of the virus – the so-called R number – is now between 1.1 and 1.3, the government said in a statement. That means every 10 people infected will spread the virus to another 11 to 13 people.

The percentage has been up since November, when a lockdown in England put it below 1, which meant the breakout was shrinking. The situation is now particularly acute in London and East England, where the R could be as high as 1.5, according to Wednesday’s statement.

Region	Last R number	Last week
UK	1.1-1.3	1.1-1.2
England	1.1-1.4	1.1-1.3
East of England	1.2-1.5	1.2-1.4
London	1.2-1.5	1.1-1.3
Midlands	1.0-1.2	1.0-1.2
North East and Yorkshire	0.9-1.1	0.9-1.1
North West	0.9-1.1	0.9-1.1
South East	1.2-1.4	1.1-1.3
South West	1.0-1.2	0.9-1.2

(Updates with affected population in 15th paragraph.)