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Updated 10 minutes ago
UK PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson has said that the UK “must act” to slow the acceleration of the spread of Covid-19, but has stressed that it is “in no way a return to full lockdown”.
Johnson made the remarks in the House of Commons this afternoon before a national address later tonight.
Johnson has announced a series of strict measures including; a requirement for people working in retail to wear face clothing, a suspension of the public from returning to sports matches, a limit of 15 people to attend weddings, and the closure of bars and restaurants at 10 p.m. hours.
The rules announced by Johnson apply to England, but he said he has spoken to the prime ministers of each of the UK delegate governments and that “delegated administrations are taking similar action.”
“These rules will be enforced with stricter penalties,” Johnson added. “The penalty for not wearing a mask or breaking the rule of six will now double to £ 200 for the first offense.”
Johnson also said the announced measures could remain in effect for six months unless the situation improves.
“Unless we make tangible progress, we should assume that the restrictions I have announced will remain in place for maybe six months,” he said.
I want to emphasize that this is in no way a return to the March total lockdown, we are not issuing a blanket instruction to stay home. We will make sure that schools, colleges and universities remain open because nothing is more important than education, health
and well-being of our youth.
Johnson also said that once again people are being asked to work, despite Johnson and other ministers encouraging him to return to offices in recent months.
These restrictions, including those related to bars, will take effect from 6pm tonight. In Northern Ireland, however, so-called ‘wet pubs’ won’t open until tomorrow, something that Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill said could cause confusion.
“I think it is a confusing message that progress is being made towards opening up a sector, but the bar sector is the only part of the entire hospitality sector that has not been opened,” he said.
You have to be reasonable in this regard, 30,000 jobs are affected by this sector that is not opening. “
He said there was a difference between a regulated environment with good hygiene measures and people’s homes, where they feel more relaxed and are less likely to wash their hands.
“I accept that there are a bit mixed messages, but we would only move forward if science and health councils say we can.”
Second wave
The UK prime minister said the threat of a second wave was “always real” and that Covid-19 infections, the positivity rate and hospital admissions have increased.
“We always knew that while we could have brought about the withdrawal of the virus, the prospect of a second wave was real, and I regret to say that, given that in Spain and France, and in many other countries, we reached a dangerous tipping point,” he said.
A month ago, on average, around 1,000 people across the UK were testing positive for coronavirus every day. The latest figures nearly quadrupled to 3,929.
“I would like to be able to assure the house that the increasing number of cases is simply a function of more testing, but an increasing proportion of the tests themselves are testing positive,” he added.
I also wish I could say that more of our people now have the antibodies to keep the virus away. But the latest data suggests that less than 8% of us are in this position. It is true that the number of new cases is growing faster among people 20-29 years old. But evidence shows that the virus is spreading to other, more vulnerable age groups, as we have seen in France and Spain, where this has led to an increase in hospitalizations. and sadly more deaths.
Labor leader Keir Starmer said his party supported the government’s latest guidance, but said that while they were “necessary”, they were not “inevitable”.
He said: “As we support the shutdown in March and the more recent local closures, albeit with fierce criticism of the way the government is handling this pandemic, when restrictions are needed, the national interest lies in clear communications and cross-party support.” .
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Starmer said families were concerned that “the government doesn’t have a strategy.”
He added: “One day people were encouraged to work in the office, in fact, more than encouraged, the Prime Minister openly challenged them for not doing so, today they are told otherwise.
“This is a time of national crisis, but we need clear leadership.”
– With reports from the Press Association
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