A woman walks past a closed souvenir stand and government messages on a telephone booth on Oxford Street in London.
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has informed England that the national blockade of the virus will continue for at least another six weeks, with schools remaining closed and new quarantine rules coming into force at the border.
A day after the British death toll rose to 100,000, Johnson said the government would review the impact of the pandemic measures and the effectiveness of the vaccination program in mid-February.
But restrictions could soon be eased and schools completely reopened on March 8, he said, and some rules will be tightened.
In an attempt to stop the dangerous mutant strains of the virus entering the UK, new 10-day hotel quarantine measures will be imposed on all passengers arriving from hot spot regions such as South America, South Africa and Portugal.
“Everyone longs to know how much we have to endure these restrictions, with all their consequences for jobs, livelihoods and, most tragically, the life chances of our children,” Johnson told lawmakers on Wednesday. “We won’t last a day longer than necessary, but we can’t relax too soon.”
Lifting lock
Johnson rejected a call from fellow Conservative Steve Brine to consider opening schools before March 8. “This is as fast as we think we can go with caution,” he said. While the blockade appears to have prevented the spread of infections, “we do not yet have enough data to know exactly how soon it will be safe to reopen our society and economy,” he said.
Britain is three weeks away from the third national blockade since the pandemic began almost a year ago, with tens of millions of workers ordered to stay home and close retail and hospitality businesses. Since then, the government has committed nearly £ 300 billion to emergency support for the economy.
In recent weeks, the Johnson administration has focused on advancing a mass vaccination program that aims to provide fire to the 15 million most vulnerable people and caregivers by February 15th. Once this goal has been achieved, ministers will consider whether and how safety restrictions can begin to be eased.
Johnson said Britain remains “very confident” in receiving its supply from Oxford /The AstraZeneca vaccine, on the background of a continuum between the company and the European Union on photo deliveries.
Provision of vaccines
The vaccine “continues to be given in ever-increasing numbers in the UK” and will “accelerate,” Johnson told a televised news conference.
Despite blockades and stimulus measures, the United Kingdom suffered the fifth deadliest in the world and the strongest economic success in any country in the Group of Seven.
The UK recorded another 1,725 deaths on Wednesday – compared to a seven-day average of 1,242 deaths – and more than a million people in the country are infected with the disease, said Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance.
“We remain in a dangerous situation,” Johnson said. The spread of a new, more contagious and potentially more lethal strain of the virus, first discovered in the south-east of England, has returned the government’s ambitions to reopen the economy in the spring, he said.
New variants
Other strains have been identified in Brazil and South Africa, and ministers have discussed border measures, including quarantining all hotel arrivals. Finally, Johnson announced a more limited policy targeting arrivals from certain countries considered to be most at risk of carrying a new variant of the disease.
“In order to reduce the risk posed by British citizens and residents returning home from these countries, I can announce that we will ask all those arrivals who cannot be refused entry to isolate themselves in government accommodation, such as hotels, for 10 days, without exception. “, Declared the prime minister of the House of Commons. “They will be greeted at the airport and transported directly into quarantine.”
Additional police will also be stationed in ports and airports to stop the British from leaving the UK to go on holiday or for any other non-essential reason, Interior Secretary Priti Patel said. “Anyone who does not have a valid reason to travel will be instructed to return home,” she told parliament.
Johnson, who has been criticized for slowing down measures throughout the pandemic, said the government will review vaccine blocking and launch in mid-February and plans to release a plan to reduce restrictions in the week of February 22.
“We have one of the highest death rates in the world,” said Keir Starmer, leader of Britain’s main opposition party. “The truth is that this was not inevitable, it was not just bad luck. It is the result of a large number of mistakes by the Prime Minister during this pandemic. ”
(Updates with vaccine details, death data starting with the ninth paragraph)