British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that measures to block COVID-19 would “probably get tougher” as the country needs to be “realistic” about the alarming spread of a new, more contagious coronavirus strain.
Johnson said there are “obviously a number of tougher measures that we should consider,” as each region remains below a different level of blockade.
“What we’re doing now is using the leveling system, which is a very tough system … and unfortunately it’s about to get harder to keep things under control,” Johnson told The Andrew Marr Show. ”From the BBC.
Most of the country is currently at the highest Tier 4 level, which requires the closure of non-essential stores and places such as gyms and recreation centers.
Johnson said he would not “speculate” on new rules that could be applied to stop the spread of the virus, but suggested that school coverage and closure are on the table for areas with aggravating outbreaks.
“It’s not something we really want to do,” Johnson said of potential school closures.
Johnson said, however, that it is likely to be a “difficult time ahead” as a new strain of the virus continues to spread rapidly across the country.
“We need to be realistic about the pace at which the new version is spreading,” Johnson told the news show.
“We have to be realistic about the impact it has on us [United Kingdom National Health Service]. And we must be humiliated in the face of this virus. “