The UK imposed strict restrictions on coronavirus on Saturday for millions of people at the request of authorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland for tougher measures to try to stop a new variant of the virus that is believed to be spreading faster. .
Northern Ireland has begun a six-week blockade, while relaxed Christmas restrictions have been reintroduced in Wales.
The number of people below the maximum level of restrictions in England – level 4 – increased by six million on Saturday, to about 24 million in total, about 43% of the country’s population. The region included London and the surrounding areas.
Authorities have banned meetings between people from different households and non-essential travel. Gyms, swimming pools, hair salons and non-essential shops have been forced to close, while bars and restaurants can only offer dining services. The business groups said the restrictions would be financially devastating for their members.
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Another 570 deaths caused by COVID-19 in a 24-hour period were reported on Saturday, bringing the total in the UK to 70,195, the second worst in Europe – just behind Italy. The UK has also reported over 32,700 new cases of the Christmas virus.
Fears about the new British version caused a week of chaos at the border. About 1,000 British soldiers spent Christmas trying to eliminate a huge delay in trucks stranded in the south-east of England, after France briefly closed its border with the United Kingdom and demanded negative coronavirus results from all drivers.
But British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Saturday that more than 15,000 drivers had been tested and that the delay at the Manston airport test site had been resolved by Sunday morning. Only 36 positive cases of these tests were reported, he said on Twitter.
The first cases of the new British variant of the virus have now been detected in France and Spain.