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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to make a statement in the House of Commons on Monday warning lawmakers that coronavirus deaths in the winter could be double those during the first wave of the outbreak, according to the Press Association of Great Britain.
The news agency reports that Johnson will say there is no alternative but to impose a recently announced shutdown in England.
“Our scientists’ models suggest that unless we act now, we could see deaths during the winter that are twice as bad or more compared to the first wave,” Johnson is expected to say, according to PA.
“Faced with these latest figures, there is no choice but to undertake new actions at the national level.”
The new lockdown, which will take effect in England from Thursday morning, following a vote in Parliament on Wednesday, will cause all bars and restaurants to be closed, except for take-out and home delivery, as well as closure of all non-essential businesses, including gyms. and hairdressers. Schools, universities and nurseries will remain open.
Residents will only be allowed to leave their homes for specific purposes including education, work (if they cannot work from home), exercise, medical problems, or to buy food and essentials.
Johnson said Monday that the government “will seek to ease the restrictions” on December 2, when the lockdown period is scheduled to end, PA reported.
However, UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said on Sunday that England’s second lockdown could extend beyond December 2.
