British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said tougher measures are likely to be needed to combat the pandemic, including closing schools.
In an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr on Sunday, Johnson did not elaborate on what kind of additional measures might be needed and rejected criticism that his administration has been too slow to act, given the more contagious form of the virus is spreading rapidly across the country. .
“We may have to do things in the coming weeks that are more difficult in many parts of the country,” Johnson said. “The UK is struggling with a new variant of the virus, which is mainly increasing in London and the South East, so we have had to take exceptional measures in some areas.”
One of the biggest questions the government is now facing is how to manage school reopenings at a time when the number of virus cases in the UK exceed 50,000 per day. Johnson’s government has been trying to keep personal lessons going in England during the pandemic, and on Sunday the prime minister tried to reassure parents that schools are safe and the virus poses little risk to young people.
“We have maintained schools for a long time in areas where the pandemic is very high,” Johnson said. “We have to keep a constant eye on things, but we will not be driven by political considerations, but entirely by the issue of public health.”
Johnson’s statements are in stark contrast to warnings from teachers’ unions, which have told members not to return to class. In London, which has one of the highest levels of Covid-19 infections per capita, the government has ordered all primary schools closed for the start of the new semester this week.
Forced to return
During the pandemic, the UK government has been forced to reconsider attempts to reopen the economy several times, especially as the winter resurgence of the virus is pushing public health services to the brink. Most recently, Johnson was forced to reverse plans that would have relaxed the rules of social aloofness over Christmas.
When asked about the UK’s plans for mass vaccinations, Johnson gave no details on how the country would be able to deliver 2 million vaccines a week.
“Everyone is working hard to do this,” he said. “We do hope that we can do tens of millions over the next three months. “
In Scotland, Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Monday asked for parliament to be recalled in Edinburgh so she can take additional steps to curb rising infections. At the moment, after a long Christmas break, schools will return for face-to-face education on January 18.
The number of daily Covid-19 cases is on the rise, and Sturgeon has said the country is entering its most critical weeks since the start of the pandemic. The new strain counts for four out of ten new infections, a public health expert from the University of Edinburgh told the BBC.
– With help from Rodney Jefferson
(Updates with background information on lock rules in the sixth paragraph.)