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LONDON: Millions of people in the UK faced harsh new coronavirus restrictions on Saturday (December 26), with Scotland and Northern Ireland demanding stricter measures to try to stop a new variant of the virus believed to be spreading more quickly.
Northern Ireland entered a six-week lockdown and in Wales, restrictions that were relaxed for Christmas Day were also reimposed.
The number of people under England’s highest level of restrictions, Level 4, rose by 6 million on Saturday to 24 million people overall, about 43 percent of England’s population. The region included London and many of its surrounding areas.
Indoor home mixing is not allowed, and only essential travel is allowed. Gyms, swimming pools, hair salons and stores that sell non-essential products were ordered to close, and pubs and restaurants can only make takeout. Business groups say the restrictions will be financially devastating for their members.
The UK recorded 210 deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday, up from 570 the day before, while cases rose from 1,968 to 34,693, the government said, citing partial data.
The UK has recorded a death toll of 70,405, defined as those who die within 28 days of a positive test. Under this measure, it has the sixth highest toll in the world, after the United States, Brazil, India, Mexico and Italy.
READ: Another new variant of the COVID-19 virus found in the UK: Minister of Health
READ: COVID-19: France confirms the first case on its soil of the UK virus variant
BORDER CHAOS
Fears over the new UK variant have sparked a week of border chaos. Around 1,000 British soldiers spent Christmas Day trying to clear a huge backlog of stranded trucks in south-east England after France briefly closed its border with the UK and demanded coronavirus testing from all drivers.
But Britain’s Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Saturday that more than 15,000 drivers had been tested and the delay had been cleared at a test site at Manston Airport. Only 36 positive tests had been reported, he said on Twitter.
“A THANK YOU to all who have worked tirelessly over the past few days to reduce the enormous disruption caused by the sudden closure of the French border,” Shapps tweeted.
READ: What we know about the new strain of coronavirus found in Britain
READ: EU begins vaccine rollout as new coronavirus variant spreads
The first cases of the new UK variant have already been detected in France and Spain. A Frenchman living in England arrived in France on December 19 and tested positive for the new variant on Friday, the French public health agency said. He has no symptoms and is isolated at his home in the central city of Tours.
Meanwhile, health authorities in the Madrid region said they had confirmed the UK variant in four people, all of whom are in good health. The regional health chief, Enrique Ruiz Escudero, said that the new strain had arrived when an infected person flew into the Madrid airport.
In her annual Christmas address, Queen Elizabeth II, who has spent much of the year in isolation at Windsor Castle with her husband, Prince Philip, delivered a heartfelt message of hope praising the “indomitable spirit” of those who have risen “superbly” to the challenges. of the pandemic.
The 94-year-old queen and her husband, Prince Philip, 99, were setting an example by not visiting relatives as usual during Christmas.
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