Covid 19 coronavirus: UK lockdown may last more than four weeks

A new national lockdown on England could have to last longer than the planned four weeks if coronavirus infection rates do not fall fast enough, a senior government minister said on Sunday.

The shutdown announced Saturday by Prime Minister Boris Johnson will run from Thursday through Dec. 2. Johnson says hospitals need to be prevented from being overwhelmed by Covid-19 patients in a few weeks.

Cabinet Minister Michael Gove said it was the government’s “fervent hope” that the shutdown would end on time, but that could not be guaranteed.

“With such a malignant virus, and with its ability to move so fast, it would be foolish to predict with absolute certainty what will happen four weeks from now,” he told Sky News.

“We will review it on December 2, but we are always guided by what the data says.”

Under the new restrictions, bars and restaurants can only offer takeout, non-essential stores must close, and people will only be able to leave home for a short list of reasons, including exercise. Hair salons, gyms, golf courses, swimming pools and bowling alleys are some of the places that must be closed and vacations abroad are prohibited.

Unlike the first three-month coronavirus lockdown in the UK earlier this year, schools, universities, construction sites and manufacturing companies will remain open.

Britain has the worst virus death toll in Europe, with more than 46,700 deaths. It passed 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday and confirmed another 23,254 new infections on Sunday.

As in other European countries, virus cases in the UK began to rise after lockdown measures were relaxed in the summer and people began to return to workplaces, schools, universities and social life. . In recent weeks, new infections have exploded across the continent, especially in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Johnson hoped that regional restrictions introduced in October, mainly in northern England, would be enough to reduce the number of new infections. But government scientific advisers predict that, in the current trajectory of the outbreak, demand for hospital beds will exceed capacity by the first week of December, even if temporary hospitals are re-established.

“Unless we act, we could see deaths in this country in the thousands a day,” Johnson said, announcing the shutdown during a televised news conference Saturday night.

But owners of pubs, restaurants, theaters, and gyms say the measures will be devastating.

A government program that paid the wages of millions of employees without permission during the pandemic was extended during the new shutdown. Many companies say that is not enough, especially in the arts, where most people work as freelancers.

Mark Davyd, CEO of the Music Venue Trust, urged the government to offer more financial support to the live events industry, as has been done in France and Germany.

“We look forward to urgent details from ministers on the financial package that will protect businesses and livelihoods in this vital and world-leading British industry,” he said.

Also on Sunday, the government and Transport for London reached an agreement to keep buses and the underground running in the capital, where passenger numbers have plummeted due to the pandemic. The combination of grants and loans worth £ 1.8bn ($ 3.5bn) is meant to keep the system up and running until the end of March.

Under the new restrictions, places of worship can remain open for private prayer and funerals, but not for community services. That has drawn criticism from England’s two top Catholic clergy, Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Archbishop Malcolm McMahon, who say the suspension would cause “profound distress.”

“Religious communities have played a vital role in maintaining personal, spiritual and mental health and in fostering vital charitable activities” during the pandemic, they said. “That critical service to the common good of all is created and sustained by community worship.”

The new blockade needs the approval of Parliament and a vote is scheduled for Wednesday.

Some members of Johnson’s Conservative Party oppose tougher restrictions because of the economic damage they inflict, but the main opposition Labor Party says it will vote for the new lockdown.

The restrictions will apply to England. Other parts of the UK govern their own public health measures, with Wales and Northern Ireland already effectively locked up and Scotland under a series of strict regional restrictions.

– AP