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The British government decided to re-impose a complete lockdown on England for a month, after the severity of a second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak that threatened a more serious death toll than its predecessor, to abandon its regional focus to contain the emerging Corona virus.
The United Kingdom, the European country with the most deaths recorded by Covid-19, with 46,555 cases and more than a million infections, is facing a second wave of Covid-19 outbreaks that threatens to exceed the capacity of its hospitals.
After weeks of opposing a return to a complete shutdown in England, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson decided to announce this decision on Saturday, following leaks in British newspapers about his intention to announce the decision on Monday.
“The time has come to act, as there is no alternative,” Johnson said in a televised speech from government headquarters, adding that “the virus is spreading even faster than in the worst of the logical cases established by our scientific advisers “.
From Thursday to December 2 and for a period of four weeks, the cafes, bars and restaurants will remain closed, and their work will be limited to the two sales services of prepared food for collection, departure and delivery.
Residents of England are encouraged to work from home and not leave them except in specific cases such as exercising, consulting a doctor or acquiring basic necessities. They can only meet with a person outside the family of the house, as long as the meeting takes place in a disconnected place.
Older people are encouraged to be more careful, as travel is prohibited except for work needs. While the measures are the same as those imposed in the first shutdown, the biggest difference is keeping schools and universities open.
The House of Commons will hold a session over the weekend to discuss the measures that go into effect on Thursday. The decision does not include Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as imposing the closure is within the remit of the authorities of these British provinces.
The closure decision marks a change in the position of Johnson, who for weeks refused to impose the measure on all English lands, even for a short period of two weeks, which was what the opposition Labor Party demanded.
But conditions in the UK have deteriorated in recent weeks. Several European countries, including Ireland, France and Belgium, have announced a return to a full or partial lockdown to slow the spread of the virus, which it was forced to do. He hopes these measures are enough to slow the spread of the virus and make family Christmas celebrations possible.
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England records around 50,000 additional Covid-19 cases a day, according to government scientific adviser Partik Valance, who confirmed that the numbers are increasing and warned that the death toll in the winter season could be “double that first wave “.