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New variant of the coronavirus in England.
After several meetings in the government on Friday night and Saturday, the British prime minister announced new infection control measures yesterday afternoon.
So far, there have been three tiers in the British system, where tier 3 areas have had the most comprehensive infection control measures. Now an even stricter fourth level has been introduced in London and the East of England and South East England regions. In practice, this means a near complete shutdown.
– Christmas has been canceled, writes Independent.
A key part of the cause is a new variant of the coronavirus, which according to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson may be up to 70 percent more contagious than usual.
“This is spreading very fast,” Johnson said Saturday.
Strict travel restrictions.
So far, there is no evidence that the virus is more deadly than the previous variant or that the vaccine is not effective against it.
In the future, residents of Level 4 areas must stay home, with very few exceptions. Shops, gyms, leisure facilities, and other services deemed non-critical should be closed. People have to work from the home office if they can and cannot spend the night away from home.
The new rules were implemented at midnight Sunday night.
Also read: Boris Johnson: the new variant of the virus spreads faster: 70 percent more contagious
Travel restrictions have also been introduced: in the future, people will not be able to travel in or out of Category 4 areas, and this caused chaos on Saturday night.
– I escaped
Many Londoners tried to “escape” from the capital, reports the PA news agency, quoted by The Guardian.
Harriet Clugston, UK editor at JPI Media, has posted a video of St. Pancras on Twitter, showing the congestion and huge lines for a train going to Leeds.
Minutes later she was on the train:
– As expected, the train is full. Ads on the speaker system say that a good distance “will not be possible” due to the number of passengers, and that you have to get off if you are not comfortable with it, he writes.
“On top of all that, we’ve been told this train will stop in Derby.” There, everyone has to get on and off a new train, which will undoubtedly mix the virus even more when we position ourselves with new seatmates. Maximum insured damage, he writes.
On Twitter, there are several who believe that Clugston has made an irresponsible decision, which he defends as follows:
– All the people on this train, including myself, have made what is probably a very stupid and irresponsible decision to travel, albeit within the law. But that was what people would do anyway, be together at Christmas. My mother lives alone and it was not possible for me not to be with her at Christmas. Others will give similar reasons. What is wrong here is the government’s management: at 4pm they announce a “closure” in London at midnight, obviously everyone will be in a hurry to leave, he writes.
Also read: Holland stops flights from the United Kingdom
It is also said that he tested negative just before boarding the train.
– will stop them
The BBC asked Health Minister Matt Hancock on Sunday morning if the police will arrest people leaving London in the future:
– Of course. It is the responsibility of the police to enforce the law, Hancock says.
The new variant of the virus has been dubbed N501Y and has so far not been discovered in Norway, the National Institute of Public Health tells NTB.
Also read: NIPH: The same mutation as in the UK was not discovered in Norway
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