Boris Johnson extends blockade in much of England to reduce coronavirus

Photographer: Jason Alden / Bloomberg

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has imposed tougher regulations on much of England in an effort to prevent the rapidly spreading mutant coronavirus strain across the country.

Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, most of Hampshire and the rest of Essex will now face the strictest rules of the four-tier government system, starting at 12:01 a.m. on December 26, it said on Wednesday. Health Secretary Matt Hancock. a press conference.

It joins London and the south-east of England, which means that non-essential stores will have to close and socialization is still restricted.

The UK reports 39,237 new cases of the virus, most since the start of the pandemic

The new variant “is spreading at a dangerous rate,” Hancock said, bringing last week’s increase to 57 percent. “The direction is clear and, in many cases, quite tough.”

The government is struggling to bring the virus back under control after the new mutant strain began to spread rapidly to London and surrounding areas.

After a blockade across England last month stopped the growth of infections, the virus began to spread exponentially again, threatening to overwhelm the National Health Service as cases grew.

More money

Separate, Treasury announced £ 800 million ($ 1.1 billion) in fresh cash for decentralized governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to help support companies and workers through the pandemic. This brings the total amount of regional governments announced from the March budget to £ 16.8 billion.

The treasury is spending £ 280 billion to fight the virus and support companies and workers in the current fiscal year. But pressure is mounting for Exchequer Chancellor Rishi Sunak to spend even more, not least on the hotel industry he chose. special assistance during the summer.

“These urgent restrictive actions require equally urgent accompanying financial support for businesses, many of which have come close to commercial failure,” said Kate Nicholls, Executive Director of UKHospitality. “The constant knocking on of the hospitality business must be followed by an equally exaggerated raft of supports.”

The UK reported 39,237 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, the largest daily increase since the start of the pandemic. Another 744 deaths were reported within 28 days of a positive test, the highest since the end of April.

New strains

While the ministers resist the hope that a vaccination program that began this month means restrictions could begin to ease in the spring, Hancock warned that the new mutation complicates matters.

“This Christmas and the beginning of 2021 will be tough,” he said. “The new variant makes everything difficult, because it spreads much faster.”

The new variant of coronavirus, which appeared in the south-east of England in September, has alarmed scientists and governments around the world, as early analysis suggests it may be 70% more transmissible than other circulating strains. Countries, including France, have temporarily suspended travel from the UK in response.

Hancock also said that two new cases of an even more transmissible variant, originating in South Africa, have been detected so far in the UK. He told people who had recently returned from South Africa to quarantine.

Action	Location
Moving to level 4	The rest of Essex, Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Waverley in Surrey and Hampshire (including Portsmouth and Southampton, but excluding New Forest)
Moving to level 3	Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Swindon, Isle of Wight, New Forest, Nothamptonshire, Cheshire and Warrington
Moving to level 2	Cornwall, Herefordshire

The latest decision means that as of December 26, 24 million people will be at level 4, 25 million at level 3 and 7 million at level 2. Just over 2,000 inhabitants of the Isles of Scilly off the southwest coast will be the only people left at level 1 in England.

In the UK, the reproductive factor of the virus – the so-called R number – is now between 1.1 and 1.3, the government said in a statement. This means that every 10 infected people spread the virus to another 11-13 people.

The rate has risen since November, when a blockade in England helped push it below 1, which means the outbreak is shrinking. The situation is now particularly acute in London and eastern England, where R could reach 1.5, according to a statement on Wednesday.

Region	Last number R	Last week
UK	1.1-1.3	1.1-1.2
England	1.1-1.4	1.1-1.3
East of England	1.2-1.5	1.2-1.4
London	1.2-1.5	1.1-1.3
Midlands	1.0-1.2	1.0-1.2
North East and Yorkshire	0.9-1.1	0.9-1.1
northwest	0.9-1.1	0.9-1.1
South East	1.2-1.4	1.1-1.3
Southwest	1.0-1.2	0.9-1.2

(Updates to the affected population in paragraph 15.)