UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that the blocking measures for COVID-19 “are likely to get tougher” as the country needs to be “realistic” about the alarming spread of a new, more contagious strain than coronavirus.
Johnson said there are “obviously a series of stricter measures that we would have to consider” as each region remains under a different level of blockade.
“What we’re doing now is using the tiered ranking system, which is a very difficult system … and, unfortunately, probably about to get harder to keep things under control,” Johnson told the “The Andrew Marr Show. BBC.
Most of the country is currently at the highest level 4, which requires the closure of non-essential stores and places like gyms and recreational centers.
Johnson said he would not “speculate” on what new rules could be applied to prevent the virus from spreading, but suggested that curfews and closed schools are on the table for areas with outbreak worsening.
“It is not something we necessarily want to do,” Johnson said of the possible closure of schools.
But Johnson said there is likely to be a “difficult period ahead” as a new strain of the virus continues to spread rapidly across the country.
“We have to be realistic about the pace of diffusion of the new variant,” Johnson told the news.
“We have to be realistic about the impact this is having on the [United Kingdom National Health Service]. And we have to feel humble in the face of this virus. “