The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has issued a new COVID-19 restriction that will mandate shutting down pubs, restaurants, and most shops in England. Johnson said that with winter just a few weeks away, the country had to take such a drastic action to avoid experiencing an uncontrollable rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, the BBC reports.
The prime minister revealed that the restrictions will commence on Thursday and end on December 2. The prime minister also explained that shutting down establishments will be equal to enforcing a total lockdown in the country – a step he had tried to avoid because of the possible effects it will have on the economy.
“We have to be humble and accept what nature has thrown at us,” PM Johnson stated. “Even the worst-case scenarios made by our health advisers have not prepared us for the uncontrollable rate at which the virus is spreading in England and all over Europe. ”
The enforcement of these new restrictions will add the UK to countries such as France, Germany, Ireland, and Belgium that have already rolled out restrictions on inhabitants to control the spread of coronavirus which has been sweeping all of Europe in recent days.
Just like the UK did in March, the country did not respond quickly to the spread when compared to other European countries such as France. Critics have explained that the slow response is responsible for the country’s high death toll as well as the economic trauma that the country has faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scientists predict that with the number of daily infections recorded in the UK, hospitals in the country including the unused field hospitals will be filled to maximum capacity by the first week in December and will be unable to attend to more patients. The prime Minister initially planned to give the new restrictions on Monday, but he had to do it earlier because of a leak regarding the outcome of the meeting between Johnson and other government officials, the New York Times writes.
“This should have been done earlier but at least it’s better to do it today than postpone it to tomorrow because we have no choice,” said Devi Sridhar, head of the global public health program at the University of Edinburgh.
The British government also revealed that before the adoption of the restrictions on Thursday, it will be up for deliberation by the British Parliament on Wednesday. The prime minister explained that he is hopeful that his party’s 80-seat majority as well as the Labour Party’s support will overpower a few conservatives that might go against the adoption of the new restrictions.
According to Johnson, the government will continue the wage subsidy program for those whose jobs are affected by the new restrictions until December. The new restrictions will allow students to go to school as schools and colleges will remain open. Also, workers will be allowed to go to factories or construction sites but shops that sell non-essential goods will be closed as well as restaurants and pubs. Restaurants and pubs can however offer take-out services.
SAGE, the British government’s scientific advisory panel review, reveals that England is recording between 43,000 to 75,000 new infections every day. The body also reports that the virus is spreading beyond the northern region of England that was initially considered a COVID-19 hotspot.
Source: nytimes.com
