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Updated 2 hours ago
A NEW strain of coronavirus has been identified in southern England due to stricter restrictions in London.
The capital and parts of Essex, Kent and Hertfordshire will face Level 3 restrictions starting Wednesday after “very steep exponential increases” in the cases.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told MPs that the number of cases related to the new variant was “increasing rapidly.”
Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than existing variants, he said.
“We have currently identified more than 1,000 cases with this variant predominantly in southern England, although cases have been identified in almost 60 different local authority areas.”
The Health Secretary said there was nothing to suggest that the variant was more likely to cause serious illness and suggested that the vaccine should still be effective.
“But it shows that we have to be vigilant and follow the rules and that everyone must take personal responsibility for not spreading this virus,” he said.
Hancock said it was necessary to move London from Level 2 to Level 3 to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed.
“Over the past week we have seen very sharp exponential increases in the virus in London, Kent, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire,” he said.
“We do not know to what extent this is due to the new variant, but whatever its cause, we must take swift and decisive action which, sadly, is absolutely essential to control this deadly disease while the vaccine is launched.
“In some parts of these areas, the doubling time is about every seven days.”
Hospitals in the capital, Essex and Kent were already “under pressure,” he warned.
“We know that this doubling of cases will be reflected in hospital admissions and it only takes a few duplications to make the NHS overwhelmed.”
Source: PA Graphics
The areas that move to Level 3 are: Greater London; South and West Essex, including Basildon, Brentwood, Harlow, Epping Forest, Castle Point, Rochford, Malden, Braintree, and Chelmsford along with Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea city councils; and southern Hertfordshire, including Broxbourne, Hertsmere, Watford and the local Three Rivers authority.
In addition to restrictions on hospitality, the measure means that people should avoid traveling in or out of the area, which could deprive Oxford Street and other London shopping centers of a much-needed custom in the run-up to Christmas.
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Hancock said: “I know this is tough news and I know it will mean discontinued plans and for the companies affected it will be a significant blow.
“But this action is absolutely essential not only to keep people safe, but because we have seen that early action can help prevent more damaging and lasting problems in the future.”
London will enter Level 3 starting at 00:01 on Wednesday. We all wanted to avoid this situation: companies in our city have already suffered a lot this year. But it is clear that the virus is accelerating once again and the lives of vulnerable Londoners are at risk.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/c6gILL4fwy
– Mayor of London (gov.uk/coronavirus) (@MayorofLondon) December 14, 2020
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the decision was “incredibly disappointing” for businesses, but urged residents of the capital to follow the rules.
He added: “The worst thing for London businesses and our economy would be another total lockdown in the new year.
“This is why I urge Londoners to follow very closely the Level 3 rules that the government is putting in place so that we can reduce infection rates as much as possible.”
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