The prime minister announced on Saturday that London and the south-east of England, where cases are sharply increasing, will undergo Tier 4 restrictions on Sunday, similar to a lockdown.
“The spread is being driven by the new variant of the virus,” Johnson said in a hastily convened press conference. “It appears to spread more easily and can be up to 70% more transmissible than the previous species.”
“This is spreading very quickly now,” Johnson warned. “I say with a heavy heart that we cannot go on for Christmas as planned.”
Johnson outlined that in areas with the strictest restrictions, there will be no opportunity to mingle at Christmas. In areas below Tier 3, mixing is now limited to Christmas Day.
Alert level 4 restrictions will be put forward to apply across Wales from midnight, the country’s prime minister Mark Drakeford announced Saturday, meaning ‘festive bubbles’ can only form on Christmas Day, PA Media reported . Under Alert Level 4, people must stay at home, except for very limited purposes, and not meet other households or meet people they do not live with, while many businesses must close.
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Saturday that there would be a strict travel ban north of the border throughout the Christmas season, warning that people from Scotland should not be allowed to visit other parts of the UK and vice versa.
“To reduce the risk of more strains of coronavirus being imported into Scotland, we intend to maintain a strict travel ban between Scotland and the rest of the UK,” said Sturgeon.
Meanwhile, the strictest level of coronavirus restrictions will be applied across mainland Scotland for three weeks from Boxing Day, she added.
No changes to Northern Ireland’s restrictions have yet been announced.
Critics laughed at Johnson’s handling of pandemic
Just this week, Johnson reiterated his promise to ease the rules over the Christmas season, allowing up to three households to mix for five days. But starting Saturday, the whole country will be asked not to travel, and those subject to the highest restrictions will not be allowed to travel abroad, except for work purposes.
Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labor party, criticized the way the government is handling the crisis, saying: “Many people will be heartbroken by the news that their Christmas plans are being torn apart.
“I’m really frustrated because I discussed this with the Prime Minister on Wednesday, and he turned it down. He told people to have a ‘Merry little Christmas’ just three days later to tear up their plans,” he said on Sky News.
Experts are urgently seeking clarity about a new strain of the virus
According to Whitty, the new variety is responsible for 60% of infections in London, which have nearly doubled in the past week.
Earlier, he said there is “urgent work” underway to determine whether the new species, found in the south-east of England, could cause a higher mortality rate.
“There is currently no evidence to suggest that the new strain causes a higher mortality rate or affects vaccines and treatments, although urgent work is underway to confirm this,” Whitty said in a statement.
As with other new variants or strains of Covid-19, this one has a genetic fingerprint that makes it easy to track, and it’s one that’s now common. That does not mean that the mutation has spread it more easily, nor does it necessarily mean that this variation is more dangerous.
Multiple experts in virus genetics and epidemiology note that this strain may simply be a “lucky” strain amplified due to a superspreader event; the mutation may somehow make it easier without causing more serious disease; or it could just be by chance.
The government’s scientific advisory group for Covid-19 has also warned that the new species is a “real cause for concern”, and has called for urgent action. On Twitter, Jeremy Farrar said: “Research is underway to understand more, but now urgent action is critical. There is no part of the UK and worldwide that should not be concerned. As in many countries, the situation is vulnerable.”
Whitty also urged people to take more precautions. “Given this latest development, it is now more important than ever for the public to continue to take action in their area to reduce carryover,” he said.