Travel to London Heathrow Airport, December 20.
Photographer: Sid Philips / Bloomberg
Photographer: Sid Philips / Bloomberg
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Britain has plunged into Christmas chaos, with police deployed to stop people from boarding trains, holidays abroad have been canceled and Europe banning travel to the country after London entered an emergency blockade.
In a sudden change, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson canceled plans to allow families to see each other during the festive season, while the government warned that a new strain of coronavirus was “out of control”. There were scenes of panic in the stations, people defying the rules of social distance to leave the capital before the new rules come into force on Sunday.
More than 16 million Britons are forced to stay home after new restrictions came into force on Sunday in London and the south-east of England. The measures prohibit the mixing of households in the capital and the south-east and limit socialization to Christmas only in the rest of England.
France and Germany intend to join Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium in banning air and rail links with Britain, which is in the midst of delicate and critical Brexit negotiations with its partners in the European Union. Discussions were expected to reach a discovery immediately after this weekend.
For many Britons, either trying to see relatives or trying to go on a winter break, the situation is reminiscent of the latest blockade nationwide and will raise fears that even with a vaccine, the virus is still dangerous, if not at all. kind of deadly. It is also, however, the latest turn of a government that has been reluctant to impose limits on movement if not forced. By Friday, Johnson was convinced that nearby households would be able to interfere with Christmas.
Crowded airports
While London’s Heathrow Airport was crowded on Sunday morning, as dozens of planes took off, a KLM service at 11:45 a.m. in Amsterdam was left empty, according to a spokeswoman for the hub, while two Subsequent British Airways flights to the Dutch city were canceled. Most of the other operations turned out to be on time.
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The bans are very worrying, the spokesman said. Heathrow has just had one of the busiest weeks since the first blockade in the UK as people flew away up to Christmas and there are still a large number of trips, she added.
A spokesman for Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport said the planes arriving from London on Sunday were practically empty. Deutsche Lufthansa AG has canceled crew breaks in the UK and is weighing other shares, a spokesman said.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said more British transport police would be sent to stop people making unnecessary trips from London.
“Please do not come to a station unless you are allowed to travel,” Shapps said in a statement. “Non-British transport police officers are deployed to ensure that only those in need of essential travel can travel safely,” he said after videos of people fleeing the capital spread on social networks. socialization.
The London Metropolitan Police are also increasing patrols, prioritizing parts of the big capital as well as areas where the virus is spreading rapidly, he said on a statement. “At this critical time for the city, officers across London will pay close attention to those groups that have deliberately ignored the rules, endangering communities and lives,” he said.
Officers are seconded to airports “as part of routine security and policing,” a Met police spokesman said.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News presenter Sophy Ridge earlier this morning that it was more important than ever for people to be responsible and not just follow the rules, but restrict any social contact as much as possible. as much as possible, because “this is seriously deadly.”
– With the assistance of Kitty Donaldson, Layan Odeh, Anthony Palazzo and Siddharth Vikram Philip