[ad_1]
The third coronavirus lockdown in the UK looks set to last as the government warned that it is too early to contemplate easing restrictions.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel did not repeat earlier assurances that the UK will return to normal in April, even as the mass vaccination program continued to expand to reach 5 million. of people.
Paul Ellis / Group / AP
Boris Johnson did not repeat earlier assurances that the UK will return to normal in April.
Instead, they tightened measures to enforce current restrictions, amid concerns that too many people are still breaking the rules, making it difficult to control the spread of the disease.
New police fines of £ 800 (NZ $ 1,522) will be imposed on people attending house parties, Patel said at a press conference in London.
READ MORE:
* Coronavirus: UK ministers push for total border closure to stop spread of new variants
* Blockades, variants and waves of Covid-19: the pandemic is getting worse in some parts of the world
* Covid-19: Northern Ireland closes schools, imposing the UK’s strictest coronavirus restrictions
* Covid-19: London hit by rising coronavirus infections, warns Boris Johnson
When asked if the public should book summer vacations, he said the advice now is to stay home.
“It is too early to say or even speculate when we can lift the restrictions,” Patel said. “This country remains in the grip of a pandemic.”
Matt dunham
Britain’s Home Secretary Priti Patel center, Vin Diwakar, NHS England Regional Medical Director for London, right, and Martin Hewitt, Chairman of the Council of National Police Chiefs, left, speak during a press conference on the Covid-19 pandemic in Downing Street.
Summer
Johnson was previously asked if the lockdown could last into the summer, and he did not rule it out, warning only that the new strain of coronavirus is “much more contagious” and that the UK is facing “what is certainly going to be a difficult problem. ” a few weeks ahead “.
His comments suggest a bleaker outlook than a few days ago, when ministers said they expected to start opening the economy in the first half of March.
Paul Ellis / Group / AP
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to members of the media after being shown the Environment Agency’s flood defense preparations for Storm Christoph during a visit to Withington, Manchester, North West England, on Thursday, January 21, 2021 (Paul Ellis / Pool). via AP)
Johnson is under pressure from members of his Conservative Party who pressure him to outline a plan to ease the shutdown as soon as the government meets its goal of vaccinating the 15 million most vulnerable people, a goal he wants to achieve by 15 February.
“Vaccines, of course, will bring immunity from Covid, but they must also bring immunity from blocks and restrictions,” Conservative lawmaker Mark Harper, chairman of the party’s so-called Covid Recovery Group, said in a statement. “This cycle of blocks and restrictions causes immense damage.”
Rules
Stores, restaurants, and schools are closed and people have been told to stay home unless absolutely necessary. The restrictions threaten to push the economy into another recession, after suffering its worst decline in three centuries.
The decentralized government of Northern Ireland announced an extension of the blockade of the region until March 5.
The latest UK data showed that 1,290 people died from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 95,829, the highest death toll in Europe. It has had a succession of registrations this month of new cases and daily deaths.
Patel said that while most people obey the rules, some exhibit “irresponsible behavior” that poses “a significant threat to public health.”
Fines for attending parties will double for each additional breach up to a maximum fine of £ 6,400, he said. The match organizers have already faced fines of £ 10,000.
Matt dunham / pool / ap
Vin Diwakar, NHS England Regional Medical Director for London, speaks during a press conference on the Covid-19 pandemic in Downing Street.
The new enforcement action will apply to any gathering of more than 15 people discovered by law enforcement, as ministers get tougher on lockdown-breaking restrictions.
Vin Diwakar, chief medical officer for London’s National Health Service, said the UK is facing its biggest public health crisis since World War II, comparing breaking the rules when hosting or attending large parties to “turning on a light in the middle of a blackout. in the Blitz. “
“It doesn’t just put you at risk at home,” he said. “He puts his entire street and his entire community at risk.”
