Sign up here for our daily coronavirus newsletter about what you need to know subscribe to our Covid-19 podcast for the latest news and reviews.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold an emergency meeting with his cabinet before addressing at 4pm on Saturday amid speculation that tougher restrictions will be introduced to reduce a new, rapidly expanding coronavirus variant .
Johnson held an unscheduled meeting with government ministers on Friday to discuss how to combat the new strain of the disease, which is currently concentrated in London and the south-east of England. Medical director Chris Whitty said the fastest-growing variant was behind the number of cases of climbing in that part of the country.
“There is no current evidence to suggest that the new strain causes a higher mortality rate or that it affects vaccines and treatments, although urgent work is being done to confirm this,” Whitty said. “Given this latest development, it is now more vital than ever for the public to continue to act in its area to reduce transmission.”
Travel restrictions are among the measures in question and could be introduced immediately on Saturday, the Telegraph reported, citing unidentified sources. It is also forbidden to ban travelers to London with commuters, the newspaper reports.
Johnson on Friday declined to rule out a the third blockage in the UK to control the spread of the virus. The UK would join Italy and Austria in tightening the borders during the holiday season, with all three countries facing a rapidly growing number of cases.