LONDON (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed an effective lockdown on more than 16 million people in England and reversed plans to light the curbs at Christmas, saying Britain was dealing with a new strain of coronavirus that was up to 70% was more transferable than the original.
Although Johnson and his scientific advisers believe vaccines will still be effective, and the new strain is no more deadly or serious in terms of the disease caused, he said on Saturday that the government needed to take urgent action.
The number of cases in England has increased enormously in the past two weeks due to the virus variant.
Johnson tore apart plans to have three households mix in for five days over the holiday season, saying London and South East England, which are currently at the top of a three-tiered system of rules, would now be moved into a new level. 4 level, comparable to that of a recent national lockdown.
“It’s with a heavy heart I have to tell you that we can’t go on for Christmas as planned,” Johnson told a news conference. “I sincerely believe there is no alternative open to me.”
People in Tier 4 – 16.4 million and about a third of England’s population – will have to stay at home, except for essential reasons such as work, and close non-essential shops, as well as indoor recreation and entertainment.
Social mixing will be limited to meeting one other person in an outdoor space. The new rules will take effect from Saturday midnight.
Johnson, whose initial response to the pandemic was criticized for being too slow, had opposed calls to change plans for the Christmas relaxation and said on Wednesday it would be “downright inhumane” to ban it.
However, those who are now in level 4 are not allowed to mingle with others during Christmas. And everyone else in England is now only allowed to see friends and family on Christmas Day, December 25th.
‘CONFUSION’
“In this time of national crisis, the British people want clear, decisive leadership,” Labor leader Keir Starmer of the opposition said on Twitter. “All we get from Boris Johnson is confusion and indecision.”
Within minutes of Johnson’s announcement, customers took to the streets for a last-ditch effort to stock up on Christmas presents and supplies.
“It was fairly quiet all day, but suddenly there was a crowd of people,” said a sales associate at a large department store in Westfield’s Westfield shopping center in West London, one of the largest in Europe.
The other nations of the UK, whose response to the pandemic sometimes differs from that of England, have also taken action.
Scotland said on Saturday that it would impose a travel ban to the rest of the UK, and the Christmas relaxation would be limited to December 25. All of Wales will move to level 4 from midnight, but on Christmas Day, two households can mingle.
Company executives said the government should provide emergency relief.
“The consequences of this decision will be serious,” said Helen Dickinson, CEO of the British Retail Consortium.
‘ASCENDED’
Like other countries in Europe, Britain is fighting to contain new waves of the virus. It reported 27,052 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, causing a total of more than 2 million and 534 more deaths, bringing the total official toll to more than 67,000.
The number of infections has increased as a result of the new virus strain – VUI202012 / 01.
“This virus has taken off, it is moving fast and is inevitably leading to a surge in hospital admissions,” said Patrick Vallance, UK’s Chief Scientific Officer.
UK Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said authorities had alerted the World Health Organization and continued to analyze the data.
“There is no evidence that it is more deadly or causes more serious illness,” Johnson said. “There are no indications that the vaccine will be less effective against the new variant.
Other countries have also reported variants of the virus. South Africa said on Friday that one of these species was causing a second wave of infections there.
Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper, William Schomberg, and Yann Tessier; Adaptation by Catherine Evans and Frances Kerry