Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday ordered a new national blockade for England in an effort to contain a new variant of the coronavirus. In a televised speech, Johnson called the following weeks a “critical moment” in the country’s struggle against COVID-19. The Scottish leader declared similar measures the day before.
The new measure forces all schools to close, closes personal hygiene services, such as barbers and hairdressers, and prohibits dinners in restaurants. Although fines are levied on those who leave their homes without valid excuses, there are exemptions that allow people to go out and fetch food or medical supplies, to and from daycare centers or in genuine emergencies.
Residents are asked to limit exercise in the open air to once a day. England residents can find only one person from a different family to exercise outdoors, and social distance should be maintained.
Johnson said he understood the “inconvenience and anguish” that the rapid closure of schools would have for families, many of whom sent elementary school children back to school on Monday in what proved to be a one-day school week, and for educators.
“We have done everything in our power to keep schools open, because we know how important each day in education is to the opportunities in children’s lives,” said Johnson. “The problem is not that schools are unsafe for children – children still have little chance of being seriously affected by the new variant of COVID – the problem is that schools can act as vectors of transmission, causing the virus to spread. spread among families. “
The new variant of the COVID-19 was first detected late last year in southeastern England and is fueling a dramatic increase in cases. More than 50,000 new cases of coronavirus are being registered daily, and hospitals in some regions are already overwhelmed with a flow of patients. Johnson said the new variant was between 50 and 70% more transmissible, making it much easier to be captured and transmitted to others.
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Before the announcement, more than two-thirds of Britain was already under the strictest Tier 4 restrictions. “Critically, if everyone does their part by following the rules, then I hope we can get out of confinement firmly,” said Johnson.
The rapidly expanding variant of COVID-19 has already appeared in other parts of the world. More recently, it was detected in New York, California and Colorado, in patients with no recent travel history. According to the leading infectious disease specialist in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, there are “probably more cases” of the new strain not yet detected in the United States.
More than 2.7 million people contracted COVID-19 in the UK, with more than 75,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Tucker Reals and Charlie D’Agata contributed to this report.