[ad_1]
The UK faces tougher lockdowns.
Jackyenjoyphotography / Getty Images
- The UK could see tighter lockdowns as Covid-19 cases continue to rise.
- Boris Johnson has said that the healthcare system is struggling under pressure.
- A new variant of the virus has hit the UK.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that stricter lockdown restrictions would likely be on the way as Covid-19 cases continue to rise, but that schools are safe places and children should continue to attend where allowed. .
Covid-19 cases in Britain are at record levels and on the rise, fueled by a new and more transmissible variant of the virus. That has already forced the government to cancel the planned reopening of schools in and around London, with calls from teachers’ unions for wider closures.
Much of England already lives under the strictest level of restriction set in a four-tier system of regional regulations designed to stop the spread of the virus and protect the national healthcare system.
But Johnson, who was asked in an interview with the BBC about concerns that the system is not sufficient to get the virus back under control, said the restrictions “could unfortunately be on the verge of tightening.”
Speculate
“Obviously, there are a number of stricter measures that we should consider … I’m not going to speculate now on what they would be.”
Johnson sets policy for England, with rules in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales set by their delegated authorities.
Britain registered 57,725 new cases of the virus on Saturday, and with more than 74,000 deaths so far during the pandemic, the government’s response has come under fire.
However, vaccine launch accelerates Monday with the first 530,000 doses of the newly approved Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccines ready to be administered, Johnson said. He added that he expected “tens of millions” to be treated over the next three months.
Addressing concerns about education, and with millions of students set to return from their Christmas break Monday, Johnson said schools were safe and advised parents to send their children to areas where the rules allow it.
“I have no doubt that schools are safe and that education is a priority,” he said.
Opinions are divided on the schools issue, with unions and some local authorities warning against reopening and threatening to act against government advice, with others saying the closures also have a major negative impact on students.
“We must renew and maintain the consensus that children’s time out of school should be kept to an absolute minimum,” wrote Amanda Spielman, chief inspector of schools, in the Sunday Telegraph.
