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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Tuesday that a stricter package of measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including closing bars and restaurants at 10 p.m., could remain in place for at least six months. .
“We will spare no effort in the development of vaccines, treatments, new forms of mass testing. But unless we make visible progress, we assume that the restrictions I announced will be in effect for at least six months,” the official said, during a statement in the British Parliament.
Boris Johnson confirmed that, as of Thursday, pubs, bars, restaurants and other entertainment venues in England must close at 10pm, service can only be performed at the table and employees must wear a mask .
The government also began recommending that people work from home if they can and suspended the public’s return to major sporting events, scheduled for October, among other measures.
Boris Johnson emphasized that this is not a new national closure like the one enacted in March, but it threatens with more and greater restrictions if the effective transmissibility index (Rt) does not fall below 1.
The prime minister also promised greater consultation with parliament and transparency in the publication of information after criticism from members of the Conservative party itself, who expressed reservations about imposing more restrictions due to the impact on the economy.
“We are taking decisive steps to balance saving lives with protecting jobs and livelihoods,” he said.
The Labor Party supported the measures, but reiterated the need for companies and workers to receive support, and defended the extension of the layoff regime, which is expected to end in October.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with their own rules
Boris Johnson said he had a discussion on Monday and this morning with officials in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, who have the autonomy to determine their own rules.
The head of the Scottish government, Nicola Sturgeon, said he would announce new measures around 2 p.m. in the regional parliament and make a public statement on television at 8:05 p.m., shortly after Boris Johnson also made a statement to the country.
The Welsh Executive announced a local lockdown in the regions of Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport and Blaenau Gwent from 6 pm and the Executive of Northern Ireland has determined that as of today it is prohibited to meet with different households in closed spaces. .
Today’s announcement follows an acceleration in the number of infection cases in recent weeks, which government scientific advisers fear will result in an overload of public health services and an increase in direct and indirect mortality.
The Joint Biosafety Center, which includes the Health Directors General of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, determined that the alert should rise to level 4, indicating that the new coronavirus is circulating in the population and is contagious . is high or increases exponentially.
The British government officially registered 41,788 deaths in the United Kingdom, but according to official statistics, the actual number, including suspected cases, whose death certificate refers to covid-19, exceeds 57 thousand.
