LONDON – Prime Minister Boris Johnson is always looking for a silver lining in response to Britain’s epidemic. Last spring, he promised to “send coronavirus packing” in 12 weeks. In the summer, he also offered to subsidize meals for people to return to their toes and restaurants.
On Tuesday, however, a reckless sober did not offer any sweeteners to Mr Johnson as he unveiled a set of new sanctions on British society that would now try to keep the second wave of infection in the country from getting worse in the fall and winter conflict.
Pubs and rest restaurants rent will close at 10pm, people are now urged to work from home and fines will be levied on those who break the rules of the size of the gatherings or first-time offenders wearing face masks will be fined પા 200 (5 255). The sanctions could last for the next six months, he said.
“We always knew that when we could have led the virus to retreat, the possibility of a second wave was real,” Mr Johnson told the House of Commons socially distance chamber in the House of Commons. “Sorry, like Spain and France and many other countries, we have reached a dangerous turning point.”
Nearly 3,000 new cases were reported in Britain on Tuesday – the highest figure since early May and eight times the daily average in early July – with hospital admissions doubling every seven to eight days. The daily death toll and the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients are still very low, with the government’s scientific and medical advisers saying that, if left unchecked, the virus could cause 20,000 new deaths a day in the coming months and 200 new deaths a day by November. .
For Mr. Johnson, this hyperbole arithmetic has forced him to revert to enthusiastic initiatives such as restoring spectators to a sporting event, forcing workers to fill towers of empty office fees, or reviving the restaurant and bar business. But unlike the previous reversal, Mr. Johnson’s latest pirot was a bit critical.
A heated debate between scientists and politicians over how to best manage the epidemic has settled largely in Britain. People on both sides generally agree that the best course is one that seeks to prevent the spread of the virus through social-distance measures when schools, shops and pubs are open at the same time, despite earlier curfews
Mr. Johnson, desperate not to return to a complete lockdown, casts the move as a “time stitch to save nine” – a timely, targeted effort that will avoid excessive pressure on the road. It was a simple slogan for a striking politician who publicly promised that Britain would “squash Sombrero” by imposing a strict lockdown that would crush Bulge in the first wave of epidemic cases in March last year.
The Brits did not avoid the influx of patients which led to the collapse of nearby Italian hospitals. But it is still the deadliest country in any European country, delaying preventive measures, failing to set up an effective testing and contact tracing program, and confusing its public messages, which experts say are easier to adopt. There are obstacles. Face mask.
“To be fair, the government has moved forward,” said Devi Sridhar, director of the global health governance program at the University of Edinburgh. “But messaging has been really weak. ‘Raise to help’ is a direct aid to the most dangerous places to spread the virus. ‘
Professor Sridhar said the new restrictions would help protect one of Mr Johnson’s main goals: to keep schools open. In the past, some experts have said the choice to close schools or pubs could come down. By closing pubs earlier – and the prime minister said avoiding drinking late into the night – is particularly dangerous for spreading the virus – he hopes to keep both open.
Professor Sridhar said that going to winter is becoming a struggle due to the combination of weather and fatigue.
Opposition Labor Party leader Carey Starmer said he supported Mr Johnson’s new move, although he criticized the lack of adequate testing and trace systems and raised red flags about how the government planned to support jobless workers. Its wage subsidy program ends in October.
Taking this step further and then resorting to another nationwide lockdown, Mr Starm said, would be a “failure of the government”.
His remarks came after he filed a wide-ranging lawsuit against the government in his address to the Labor Party’s annual conference. “It angers me that we get a series of disabilities when the country needs leadership,” said Mr. Starm, speaking to a large audience.
He said it had taken months for the prime minister to prepare for this, but instead of gaining a foothold, the government had lost control.
Although he also provoked Mr. Johnson and his Conservative Party government, Mr. Starmer acknowledged that the opposition had a lot of work to do to give supporters victory after his landslide defeat in last December’s election.
“Let us be ruthlessly honest with ourselves: when you lose an election in a democracy, you deserve it,” he said. “You look at the voter and ask them, ‘What were you thinking?’ You look at yourself and ask, ‘What do we do?’ ”
This has been an awkward time for the Conservatives as well. Tensions had risen in the party ahead of Mr Johnson’s announcement, following leaks that suggested he was considering tougher measures, including a lockdown, to join the short school vacation in October. The increase in transition would have been thought to act as a “circuit break”, at the time it would have been less disruptive.
For many legislators, it is a threat to both fragile economic recovery and personal freedom. Some senior Conservatives have also complained that Parliament is being sidelined in taking crucial decisions. The ministers were “accustomed to ruling by decree,” Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 committee, which represents backbench Conservative legislators, told the BBC.
In the end, Mr Johnson backed away from the strongest possible measures, arguing that the economy needs to be protected along with the health of the country. In Scotland, which lifted lockdown restrictions more slowly than in England, the Scottish government banned people from going to each other’s homes.
Instead, Mr Johnson insisted on enforcing the new rules, with heavy fines and said it would be more vigorous policing. He also said troops could be deployed to support police, although Downing Street later insisted the troops would only be used for support functions.
For all his gravity, Mr. Johnson allowed himself a particularly sunny moment. Referring to the possibility of treatment and the possible vaccine, he said, “All the medical guidance I have is that by next spring things will be much, much better.”
Megan Spacia contributed to the report.
