On Saturday, UK Prime Minister Boris John announced a series of stringent coronavirus bans, tightening rules around the domestic mix that were to be relaxed due to Christmas in London and south-east England.
The Prime Minister broke the news on Saturday that in London and the southeast of England where cases are on the rise, a lockdown on Sunday would lead to similar Tier 4 bans.
“The spread is being driven by a new type of virus,” Jones said in a hastily called press conference. “It seems to spread more easily and can be 70% more transmissible than previous strains.”
“This is spreading very fast now,” Jones warned. “It’s with a very heavy heart that I say we can’t continue as planned for Christmas.”
Johnson outlined that in areas under the most stringent restrictions, there would be no possibility of a household mix at Christmas. In areas under Tier 3, the mix will now be limited to Christmas Day.
As recently as this week, Johnson redirected a pledge to relax the rules during the Christmas period, allowing three houses to mix for five days. But until Saturday, the entire nation is being told not to travel and people under the highest level of restrictions will not be allowed to travel abroad except for work purposes.
According to Whitney, the new variant is responsible for 60% of infections in London, which has almost doubled in the past week.
Earlier, he said “urgent work” was underway to establish whether the new strain, prevalent in the south-east of England, could cause high mortality.
Whitty said in a statement that there is currently no evidence to suggest that the new strain causes a higher mortality rate or affects its vaccines and treatment.
Like the other newer variants or strains of the Covid-19, this one has a genetic fingerprint that makes it easier to track, and it becomes what is now commonplace. This does not mean that it spreads more easily due to change, nor does it mean that this variety is more dangerous.
Multiple experts on the genetics and epidemiology of the virus have noted that this may be just one “lucky” strain that has been amplified due to a superspider phenomenon; It could be a mutation that spreads more easily without causing a more serious illness; Or it could just be by chance.
The government’s scientific advisory group for Covid-19 has also warned that the new strain is a “real cause for concern” and called for urgent action. On Twitter, Jeremy Ferrer said, “Research is underway to understand more, but urgent action is crucial now. There is no part of the UK and globally that should not be worried. Like many countries, the situation is fragile.”
Whitty also urged people to be more careful. He said that in view of these recent developments it is now more important than ever that people continue to take steps to reduce transmission in their area.
This is a developing story.
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