Boris Johnson
Photographer: Simon Dawson / Bloomberg
Photographer: Simon Dawson / Bloomberg
Boris Johnson paved the way for lockdown rules to take several more months, as coronavirus deaths in the UK hit the highest daily total since April.
The Prime Minister said in Parliament before voting on the measures, saying that the pandemic restrictions will only be lifted gradually. While schools will be the priority in reopening, the goal of a return to face-to-face education from Feb. 22 is far from certain, he warned.
“As was the case last spring, our emergence from the closed cocoon will not be a big bang, but a gradual one,” Johnson said. The House of Commons voted 524 to 16 on Wednesday evening for the new restrictions.
Despite a massive vaccination program, the government tried to dampen expectations that the pandemic would end soon, as infections and hospitalizations continued to rise and pressure on the struggling National Health Service continued to increase. Hospitals in London are less than two weeks away from being overwhelmed by the virus, even at best, according to the Health Service Journal reported, citing a presentation from NHS England.
Photographer: Simon Dawson / Bloomberg
The UK reported 1,041 new deaths from the coronavirus within 28 days of a positive test on Wednesday, the highest daily increase since April. Health Minister Matt Hancock said there are now 30,074 patients with the virus in UK hospitals.
The rising caseload forced authorities to impose the UK’s third nationwide lockdown this week, closing schools and setting the economy on track for a potentially devastating double dip recession.
Exams scrapped
While millions of children are being taught at home until at least mid-February, ministers confirmed that the A-level and GCSE exams scheduled for May and June will also be canceled this year due to the pandemic. Instead, students are graded by their teachers.
School exams canceled and replaced by teacher grades in England
The government is aiming to slow the spread of the virus as much as possible so that hospitals are not overwhelmed, and to free up time for doctors to vaccinate nearly 14 million of the most vulnerable people and carers by February 15. About 1.3 million have already received a dose.
“After last year’s marathon, we are now indeed in a sprint, a race to vaccinate the vulnerable faster than the virus can reach them,” Johnson said.
Hancock faced questions from his own Conservative colleagues in Parliament about the pace of vaccine introduction and how soon the lockdown rules will be lifted. He agreed that the UK urgently needs to increase its offer of the approved vaccines and told the manufacturers Pfizer and AstraZeneca works as hard as possible to deliver.
Hancock pledged to cut “unnecessary red tape” for those who volunteer to give vaccines and said he wants to see pharmacists and former doctors come forward. According to the government, there are close to 1,000 vaccination sites across the country.
UK reports 1,041 new virus deaths, the most since April
Johnson faces an imminent clash with his own party in February, when the national lockdown is expected to end. Mark Harper, a former cabinet minister, said there should be no reason to continue with restrictions once the most vulnerable people have been vaccinated.
Hancock urged caution, saying the government must see the “impact” of the vaccinations on the pandemic, and “sever the link” between cases and deaths before rules can be relaxed.
– With the help of Charles Capel and Joe Mayes