LONDON – New and severe restrictions on coronavirus began in the United Kingdom with Scotland and Northern Ireland under stricter measures to try to stop a new variant of the virus that is believed to spread more quickly.
The measures that were relaxed for Christmas Day in Wales have also been reimposed.
The number of people under the country’s highest level of restrictions – Level 4 – increased by 6 million on Saturday to 24 million people, about 43% of Britain’s population. No internal mixing of residences is permitted and only essential travel is permitted. Gyms, swimming pools, hairdressers and shops selling non-essential products have been closed.
Another 570 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 70,195. More than 32,700 new cases of the disease were reported on Christmas Day.
In her annual Christmas address, Queen Elizabeth II, who spent much of the year in isolation at Windsor Castle with her husband, Prince Philip, delivered a sincere message of hope praising the “indomitable spirit” of those who rose “magnificently” to the challenges of the pandemic.
The queen’s speech was even more poignant, given the great sadness and turmoil that many families experienced in the United Kingdom, which has the second highest death toll in Europe, after Italy.