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The Conservative leader is desperate to prevent a repeat of the devastating outbreak in March when the coronavirus swept through the UK, leaving more than 43,000 confirmed deaths so far, the worst death toll from the pandemic in Europe.
FILE: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Image: AFP
LONDON – Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that a new lockdown across the UK would be a “disaster” but refused to dismiss it as demands grew for a temporary shutdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Labor opposition leader Keir Starmer has supported a two-week “circuit breaker” to halt a surge in COVID-19 cases, after the proposal was endorsed by the government’s scientific advisory committee.
Delegated authorities in Northern Ireland increased the pressure on Wednesday by announcing plans to close pubs and restaurants for four weeks, tighten restrictions on social gatherings and extend the mid-term school break to counter the growing number of cases there.
Johnson is reportedly considering a similar move in England, for which the UK government has jurisdiction over health matters, which experts suggest could coincide with mid-term school holidays starting Oct. 23.
The Conservative leader is desperate to prevent a repeat of the devastating outbreak in March when the coronavirus swept through the UK, leaving more than 43,000 confirmed deaths so far, the worst death toll from the pandemic in Europe.
But his own MPs are also criticizing anything that could cause further damage to an economy that will shrink by nearly 10 percent this year, according to the IMF.
In a grumpy exchange with Starmer in the House of Commons, Johnson insisted, “We will do whatever it takes to fight this virus and defeat it.”
But he said the regional approach he outlined on Monday alone, with England divided into three tiers of restrictions based on the severity of the local outbreak, was the best approach.
“The goal is to seize this moment now to avoid the misery of another national blockade that he wants to go head first to, delivering a regional solution,” Johnson said.
If implemented correctly, he said the plan would reduce the reproduction rate (R) of the virus “that we need to avoid what none of us want to see … and that is the disaster of a national lockdown. I don’t want to go there.”
However, Starmer accused the prime minister of being “behind the curve” and ignoring science, warning that “time is running out” to take decisive action.
‘DRASTIC STEPS’
The north-west England city of Liverpool was the first to be placed in the highest risk category, and a ban on home mixing and closing bars for at least four weeks went into effect on Wednesday.
Councilor Paul Brant told the BBC that the city’s intensive care units were over 90% full, with coronavirus patients accounting for a growing proportion.
“I think this lockdown is correct because that is the only way we will survive. If we go on and on, it will spread, and spread and spread,” said 61-year-old Liverpool resident Jerry MacNally.
But others are increasingly frustrated. Retired local Lynn Curtis told AFP: “I think it’s a huge overreaction, I just don’t think there is a need for such drastic measures.”
Many Johnson’s Conservatives lawmakers have argued against the new measures based on the economic damage and associated long-term health risks.
In a symbolic vote Tuesday night in the Commons on the 10pm curfew already introduced for pubs and restaurants in England, 42 Conservative MPs rebelled against the government, calling for a different strategy.
“There is no silver bullet and without one, although it is difficult, we must learn to live with the virus,” said one, Imran Ahmad Khan. “The continuing peaks and valleys are unsustainable and offer false hope.”
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