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LONDON: British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday that the government imposed a strict Christmas blockade on London and south-east England because a new strain of the coronavirus was “out of control”.
Hancock warned that strict measures 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 and the closure of non-essential shops that affect around a third of England’s population.
“Unfortunately the new strain was out of control. We have to get it under control. “
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday that millions must cancel Christmas plans and stay home because the new strain is spreading much more rapidly.
Hancock told Sky News that the situation was “deadly 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.”
It turned out that scientists first discovered the new variant in a patient in September.
Susan Hopkins of Public Health England told Sky News that the agency notified the government on Friday when modeling revealed the full severity of the new strain.
She confirmed Johnson’s figure that the new strain of the virus could be 70% more transmissible and said this was an initial figure.
“I think 70% seems like a good number to land on right now,” he said.
