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Boris Johnson canceled Christmas for millions of people in London and south-east England after scientists said a new variant of the coronavirus is spreading faster.
This means that any Irish living in London will not be able to travel to Ireland for Christmas.
The British Prime Minister announced that, starting on Sunday, the Southeast areas currently at Level 3 will be moved to a new Level 4, effectively reverting to the November lockdown rules.
The Prime Minister said: “We are sacrificing the opportunity to see our loved ones this Christmas to have a better chance to protect their lives and to be able to see them next Christmas.”
Nonessential stores, gyms, movie theaters, hair salons and bowling alleys will be forced to close for two weeks, while people will be restricted from meeting someone else from another household in a public outdoor space.
The rest of England will also see the Christmas “bubble” policy, which allows up to three households to meet during the severely restricted holiday period, applying only on Christmas Day.
The move comes after scientists from the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threat Advisory Group (NervTag) concluded that the mutant strain identified by Public Health England, known as VUI2020 / 01, was spreading more rapidly.
The new variant strain of the virus that causes Covid-19 may be up to 70 percent more transmissible and could increase the R-value by 0.4, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The scientific evidence on the new variant of #coronavirus is concerning. If you are on Level 4, from tomorrow you must stay home to protect the NHS and save lives. Thanks to everyone who participated in the national effort.
Johnson was briefed on the group’s findings in a meeting with ministers Friday night, and the cabinet approved the new regulations in a conference call on Saturday lunchtime.
The prime minister said the government was following scientific advice on changes to coronavirus restrictions.
When asked at the Downing Street press conference whether it was “unwise to promise five days of Christmas against scientific advice,” Johnson said: “We have always considered scientific advice, we have always tried to follow it, and that’s what What are we doing, doing today.
“Because science is clearly changing and has changed in the sense that our understanding of this new virus, its transmissibility, has changed radically in just the last 24 hours.”
Johnson added: “We just can’t ignore that and that is why we are taking these additional steps today to protect the country.”
Boris Johnson acknowledged that it was “certainly a difficult time” in the coronavirus crisis, but insisted that things would be “radically different” at Easter because of the vaccine.
“We will do everything we can, as usual, to take care of business, to take care of jobs and livelihoods,” the Prime Minister said.
“And we will continue to do so with the loan plan, with licenses, which the Chancellor has extended until the end of April.
“We will continue to take care of companies that are forced to close as a result of what is happening, they will receive the protections that we have implemented.”
Johnson said it was a “race” and that the government was “doing everything possible to protect the public, while we know the vaccine is coming.”
“I am more confident than ever that we will get that vaccine to a significant proportion of the population by spring and that things will be radically different for our country at Easter,” he said.
Under the new ‘stay at home’ order, which covers about a third of England’s population, people on Level 4 will be told not to stay away from home overnight and people will be advised outside that they do not visit the Level 4 areas.
Alert level 4 restrictions will also be advanced to apply across Wales from midnight, Prime Minister Mark Drakeford announced.
Drakeford said that the transmission pattern in London and south-east England, linked to the new coronavirus strain, is “remarkably consistent with the rapid acceleration of transmission in Wales” in recent weeks.
In a statement, Drakeford said the latest evidence suggests the new strain is present “throughout Wales” and said this requires an “immediate response”.
The Cabinet of the Government of Wales met on Saturday to discuss the “worrying new development of the pandemic” as well as advice from senior medical and scientific advisers, including the impact on the NHS in Wales.
“The situation is incredibly dire. I can’t overstate this, ”Drakeford said.
“We have therefore come to the difficult decision to advance the Alert Level 4 restrictions for Wales, in line with the actions being taken in London and South East England.
“These new restrictions will go into effect at midnight tonight instead of during the Christmas period.”
PA media
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