LONDON (AP) – British lawmakers agreed on Thursday to extend emergency measures for the coronavirus by six months, leaving the Conservative government with unprecedented powers to curtail the daily lives of British citizens.
The House of Commons voted to extend powers until September and approved the government’s roadmap for progressively loosening Britain’s strict coronavirus blocking over the next three months.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s large conservative majority in parliament guaranteed the measures taken by a decisive margin of 484-76. But Johnson faced rebellion from some of his own party lawmakers who argued that the economic, democratic, and human costs of the restrictions outweigh the benefits.
The Coronavirus Act, passed a year ago when Britain went into lockdown, brought a wide variety of temporary health, economic and social powers to deal with the pandemic. It gives authorities the power to fend off protests, shut down businesses, restrict travel, and detain people suspected of having the virus.
Heath Secretary Matt Hancock said Parliament “should have taken extraordinary measures in response to this extraordinary threat.”
But conservative lawmaker Mark Harper, a leading lockdown skeptic, said he had “not heard a single correct answer” as to why the British government should extend “draconian” powers for another six months.
The opposition Liberal Democrats opposed the extension, with leader Ed Davey saying it gave ministers “a blank check to use draconian powers they don’t need.” Former Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn also spoke out against them, saying that “our freedoms are at stake”.
Britain has recorded more than 126,000 deaths from the coronavirus, the highest toll in Europe. But the UK’s rapidly evolving vaccination program has so far delivered at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to more than half of the adult population, a much better track record than the much-criticized vaccine roll-out in Europe. Union.
Virus infections and deaths in Britain have fallen sharply in the past month, while they are increasing in much of Europe.
Simon Stevens, CEO of the National Health Service in England, said on Thursday that English hospitals were treating about 4,000 coronavirus patients, up from 34,000 in mid-January. He said the health system’s warning level for coronavirus should be lowered from 4 to 3 on a five-point scale as the pressure on the system has eased.
The UK government is gradually lifting a national lockdown. Kids headed back to school on March 8, and shops, hairdressers and outdoor dining will reopen on April 12, followed by indoor venues on May 17. The remaining restrictions will end on June 21, if the country does not face another virus surge.
Hancock said infections are likely to increase as society opens up, but thanks to vaccines, that wouldn’t automatically mean more virus-related deaths. But he said it was still good to proceed with caution.
“We need to restore the freedoms that we all cherish, but in a way that doesn’t jeopardize the (National Health Service),” he said.
Some lawmakers were concerned about suggestions that people in Britain may need to prove they were vaccinated to travel, attend mass events or even go to the pub. The government is examining proposals for “coronavirus status certificates” and says it will outline its plans next month.
Johnson admitted that there were “moral complexities” surrounding the proposal, as some people cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.
The idea of ”pub passports” has been strongly criticized by restaurant and bar owners. Kate Nicholls, CEO of the UKHospitality trade association, said the idea was “simply unworkable”.
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