They made sure Boris Johnson won the election. But now it is these poor regions in the north of England that are leading the country into a new lockdown.

BRUSSELS / OSLO (Aftenposten): Infection is increasing dramatically across Europe. Britain is preparing for a new shutdown. For Boris Johnson, it means a double political problem.

Champagne corks went off at the Conservative election vigil in December last year. Boris Johnson hadn’t just crushed Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn. He had also managed to bring down “the red wall”, the term for Labor’s strong position in the former strongholds of the workers in the north of England.

Now workers voted in large numbers for Boris, for Brexit, for less immigration and new jobs. But then came the crown.

And the regions that were to take Boris Johnson to new heights are now the regions that are taking Britain to a dramatic new shutdown.

Boris Johnson’s severe headache

The coronavirus appears to be under control in London, most of the major cities and urban areas in southern England. But in the 44 constituencies that went from red to blue in northern England, the crown alarm has soared, writes The Times.

All are above average in both infection and mortality.

In England and Wales, the average death rate is 78.9 percent. 100,000 people. In the constituencies that helped Johnson win the election, the average is 87.7.

In 14 of these districts there have been more than 100 deaths per. 100,000 inhabitants since the closure occurred.

Voters have cold feet

Enthusiasm for Boris Johnson has already begun to wane among newly elected Conservative representatives. Also in the districts, his fellow party members face massive criticism and have to accept rinse buckets from dissatisfied voters.

One of the newly elected Conservative representatives, Miriam Cates de Penistone and Stocksbrigde, now represents one of the worst affected districts in the north of England. They had a death rate of 129.5 percent. 100,000 since the start of the pandemic, eight times more than in London.

When she posted a photo of herself in the local market, without a mask, with the text “come and buy”Cheddar kettle“A British cheese specialty, was attacked for not wearing a mask and for spreading the virus.

Voters in the North of England are also furious at what they believe to be government discrimination against politicians and ordinary people, mixed messages and desperate U-turns.

Duplication of infection in half of Europe

But it is not only in the UK where people are concerned. In the past two weeks, the number of new infections has doubled in more than half of European countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported last week.

– It is a very serious situation that we see, said the head of the WHO for Europe, Hans Kluge, during a press conference in Copenhagen, according to the BBC.

In the last seven days, there have been almost 300,000 new cases in Europe, according to figures from the European Infection Control Agency ECDC database.

“Although these figures are based on more evidence, they show an alarming rate of infection in the region,” Kluge said.

Again, the numbers are increasing for the elderly.

The number of people who end up in hospital or die is not as serious as last spring, when the previous peak of infection was observed. But the WHO warns that the situation could get worse.

– So far, the increase has been among the youngest, in the most resilient parts of the European population. But the numbers are increasing for the elderly, Kluge said.

The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Luxembourg, Malta, France and Spain have more than 100 infected per capita. 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days. The worst situation is in Spain, and in Madrid in particular. 850,000 of the inhabitants of the Spanish capital have been ordered to stay home.

Tipping points in the UK

In the UK, Chris Whitty, the UK government’s top medical adviser, says it’s only a matter of time before all the brakes are put back on.

• In the updated overview of the number of new infected by. With 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days, the UK is now at 70.7, which is 250 per cent above what is required to be considered a red country by Norway.

– If we do too little, the coronavirus will get out of control. We are now at a dramatic turning point, Chris Whitty warned at a news conference Monday.

Boris Johnson is expected to propose a so-called “circuit breaker lockout,” a near-total lockout, but initially only for 14 days, to see if it has a braking effect. That is, pubs and restaurants closed, home office and no public transport.