The British health minister warned on Sunday that a strict lockdown imposed on London and south-east England could last for months because a new strain of the coronavirus was “out of control.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Saturday that millions must cancel Christmas plans and stay home from Sunday morning because the new strain is spreading much faster.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned that the strict measures affecting nearly a third of England’s population could be maintained until the virus vaccine is fully implemented.
“We acted very quickly and decisively,” Hancock told Sky News, justifying the “stay home” order, the ban on family gatherings during Christmas and the closure of non-essential stores.
“Unfortunately the new strain was out of control. We have to get it under control. “
Around 16.4 million people entered the stricter “level four” measures since Sunday, or 31% of England’s population.
They are not allowed to hold family reunions for Christmas, while in the rest of the country a limited number of households are allowed to mingle on Christmas Day only, instead of the five days originally proposed.
Hancock said the situation was “very serious.”
“It’s going to be very difficult to keep it under control until we have the vaccine,” he said, adding: “This is what we will face in the coming months.”
The UK expects to hit half a million vaccinations by the weekend, the Health Minister said.
The London Metropolitan Police said it would take action against those who “make reckless decisions that risk lives.”
Other UK regions also tightened their anti-virus measures in response.
Wales introduced a strict lockdown from Sunday, while Scotland banned travel to and from other UK regions for Christmas and announced it will double its police presence along the border with England.
Both Scotland and Northern Ireland will enter new lockdowns on December 26. Northern Ireland will introduce additional measures on Sunday.
Scientists first discovered the new variant in a patient in September, Susan Hopkins of Public Health England told Sky News.
She said scientists in November found the new strain was behind a cluster of cases in Kent that spread to London and Essex and reported to the government on December 11.
Public Health England then notified the government again on Friday when modeling revealed the full severity of the new strain, it said.
She confirmed Johnson’s figure that the new strain of the virus could be 70 percent more transmissible and said this was an initial figure.
“I think 70% seems like a good number to land on right now,” he said.
The virus has been found in all regions of England, but in small numbers, Hopkins said.
Hancock said cases had also been identified in Australia and Europe.
Patrick Vallance, the government’s top scientific adviser, said Saturday that the new strain contained 23 differences, including the way the virus attaches to human cells and enters cells.
Simon Clarke, associate professor of cell microbiology at the University of Reading, told AFP that the mutations affect the “spike protein” that inserts into the virus and is the target of vaccines.
“If we look at the changes that those mutations make to the spike protein, which is the target of the vaccine, then we don’t think they are enough to change the effectiveness of the vaccine,” he said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan told Sky News that London now has the same number of hospital patients with the virus as it did during the peak of the first wave in April. Cases have also increased rapidly among people ages 10 to 19, he said.
The dire situation drew widespread criticism of the prime minister for vowing last week not to “cancel Christmas.”
“Not much was understood about this mutant virus. But that uncertainty should have been enough for the prime minister to see that it was time to suspend Christmas, “wrote the weekly The Sunday Mirror.
The leader of the opposition Labor Party, Keir Starmer, accused Johnson of being afraid of making unpopular decisions.
Oxford Street in London is usually packed with Christmas shoppers, but on Sunday it was almost deserted.
Some passersby said they supported the measures.
“It was necessary to do it before and making crazy promises has not helped the situation at all,” said David, a 59-year-old man who works in insurance.
But Richard Charles, a 32-year-old service industry worker, said the move was too hasty.
“It shouldn’t be some kind of dictation that happens overnight,” he said.
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