Johnson warns that the blockade will last at least until March 8

Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe / Bloomberg

Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned England that the national virus blockade will continue for at least another six weeks, with schools closed and new quarantine rules taking effect.

A day after the British death toll exceeded 100,000, Johnson said the government would review the impact of pandemic measures and the effectiveness of the vaccination program in mid-February.

But restrictions can begin to be loosened as soon as possible and schools will be fully reopened on March 8, he said, and some rules will be enforced.

In an attempt to prevent dangerous mutant strains of the virus from 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 is anxious to know how much longer we must endure these restrictions, with all their consequences for jobs, livelihoods and, most tragically of all, our children’s chances of life,” Johnson told members of Parliament Wednesday -market. “We are not going to persist for another day than necessary, but we also can’t relax anytime soon.”

Caution

Johnson rejected a call from fellow conservative Steve Brine to consider opening some schools before March 8. “This is as fast as we think we can go prudently,” the prime minister told Parliament. Although the blockade appears to have restricted the spread of infections, “we still don’t have enough data to know exactly when it will be safe to reopen our society and economy,” he said.

The UK is three weeks into its third national blockade since the pandemic began nearly a year ago, with tens of millions of workers forced to stay home and the retail and hospitality business closed. Since then, the government has committed almost £ 300 billion to emergency support for the economy.

Despite the blockades and stimulus measures, the UK suffered the fifth highest number of deaths in the world and the biggest economic blow of any country in the Group of Seven.

For the past few weeks, Johnson’s administration has focused on carrying out a mass vaccination program that aims to provide vaccines to the 15 million most vulnerable people and caregivers by February 15. Once that goal is reached, ministers will consider whether and how restrictions can safely begin to be eased.

‘Dangerous’

“We remain in a dangerous situation,” said Johnson. The spread of a new, more contagious and potentially deadlier strain of the virus, found for the first time in southeastern England, dampened the government’s ambitions to reopen the economy in the spring, he said.

Other strains have been identified in Brazil and South Africa, and ministers have been discussing border measures, including quarantining all hotel arrivals. In the end, Johnson announced a more limited policy aimed at arrivals from specific countries considered to be at higher risk of carrying a new variant of the disease.