British Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a full lockdown on London, saying on Saturday that Christmas celebrations cannot move forward and non-essential retailers should temporarily close amid a rapidly rising coronavirus infection rate.
The state of affairs: London, South East and East England, which are currently in Tier 3, will impose Tier 4 restrictions starting Sunday. Johnson said an expected Christmas Day postponement – a planned postponement of restrictions allowing up to three households to congregate in “Christmas bells” – will be canceled for Tier 4 zones.
- The UK government is urging people to stay at home and advising people to work from home whenever possible.
- People are not allowed to leave or enter Tier 4 areas, and residents are prohibited from traveling abroad.
- Non-essential stores, indoor gyms, leisure facilities and personal care facilities will be closed.
- Religious gatherings will be allowed.
- Social gatherings should be limited, while people living in Tier 4 areas are strongly advised to stay in their own households.
What he says: “Yesterday afternoon, I was briefed on the latest data showing that the virus is spreading faster in London, the South East and East of England than would be expected given the tight restrictions already in place,” Johnson said.
- “It appears that the spread is now being driven by the new variant of the virus,” continued Johnson. “Our advisory group on new and emerging respiratory threats, NERVTAG, has been analyzing this new variant for the past few days – there is no evidence that it causes more severe disease or higher mortality, but it appears that it is significantly more easily passed on.”
- “Although there is considerable uncertainty, it can be up to 70% more transmissible than the old variant, the original version of the disease.”
- “There is no indication that the vaccine will be less effective against the new variant.”
- “If the virus changes its attack method, we have to change our defense method,” Johnson said. “We have to act on the information as we have it because it is spreading very quickly now.”
The big picture: Johnson held an emergency meeting with his cabinet on Saturday to settle the latest restrictions. British health officials have shared data on the suspected strain with the World Health Organization, the prime minister said in his announcement.
Worth nothing: “The new measures, which will take effect at the end of Saturday night, are in fact intended to cut off the capital and surrounding counties from the rest of England, “writes the New York Times. They are the toughest measures the government has taken since the country imposed a lockdown in March, and they reflect fears that the new variant could boost the transmission of the virus once winter sets in.
In numbers: According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the UK has more than 1.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 66,000 deaths.
- The country reported 28,560 daily cases on Friday.