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LONDONThe British government announced on Thursday new restrictions for northeast England, the latest region to see an increase in coronavirus cases, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned of a “second hump” in national broadcast.
Residents in the Northeast, which includes the cities of Newcastle and Sunderland, will no longer be allowed to socialize outside of their own homes or support the bubbles as of Friday.
Food and drink venues will be restricted to table service only, while pubs and bars must close early at 10 p.m. (5 a.m. Malaysian time), according to new measures announced in parliament by Health Secretary Matt Hancock. .
“We do not make these decisions lightly,” he told MPs, acknowledging that they would have “a real impact on families, businesses and communities.”
“We must follow the data and act, and the data says we must act now.”
Britain has been the worst-hit country in Europe by the pandemic, with the government recording nearly 42,000 deaths.
The Office for National Statistics, which uses broader criteria to count deaths from Covid-19, has said that about 58,000 Britons have died from the virus.
The government imposed new rules in England on Monday limiting socialization to groups of six or fewer, as daily cases reach levels not seen since early May.
Johnson warned in a newspaper interview Thursday that people should watch for any new restrictions to “halt the second hump” in the pandemic, comparing Britain’s track record of resurgent case numbers to the profile of a camel.
He insisted that new measures are needed as “the only way to ensure that the country can enjoy Christmas” and an alternative to another total blockade.
‘Stop the surge’
Johnson told the tabloid The Sun: “What I don’t want to do is block sections of the economy.
“We can grab it now, stop the swell, stop the peak, stop the dromedary’s second hump, flatten the second hump,” he said, before reflecting on his metaphor.
“Dromedary or camel? I don’t remember if it is a dromedary or a camel that has two humps. Umm. Please check.”
Dromedaries are Arabian camels that have a single hump.
Johnson had likened Britain’s first wave of virus cases to a hat, imploring people to “squash” it in compliance with the national lockdown in effect from late March through June.
But the prime minister has faced harsh criticism this week for failing to achieve the “worldwide” tracking and testing system he promised for the summer.
The government admits that growing demand for virus tests is posing problems, after hospital bosses warned that delays in the system were putting health services at risk.
It has blamed people who don’t need proof of overloading the system, and ministers have promised to reveal new prioritization rules in the coming days.
“I really sympathize with those who can’t get the proof they want,” Johnson added, admitting that “the system is really struggling with the real weight of demand.”
“Often, and in no way do I blame people for doing this, but it is a fact, a significant proportion of those people are asymptomatic.”
Johnson vowed to “continue to scale it up” and has promised to have the capacity to test 500,000 people a day by October. – AFP
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