[ad_1]
LONDON (REUTERS) – Britain’s opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer called on Tuesday (October 13) for a two to three week “circuit breaker” lockout, increasing pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is struggling to sell their own plan to address Covid-19.
Abandoning what his party has described as its “constructive opposition” to the government’s attempts to flatten a growing number of new coronavirus cases,
Starmer said there is “no time to give this prime minister the benefit of the doubt.” “The government’s plan is simply not working. Another course is needed. That is why I am calling for a circuit break for two to three weeks in England,” he told a news conference.
He said his proposal, which he urged the government to adopt, would not mean schools would close. Instead, the temporary closure could be scheduled to take place at the same time as the upcoming school holidays.
Describing the measures as “major sacrifices across the country,” he proposed allowing only essential work and travel, restricting mixing at home and that all pubs, bars and restaurants should be closed, but also compensated.
With the increase in the number of Covid cases and associated deaths in Britain, particularly in the north of England, Johnson has introduced a tiered system to try to better coordinate a response that, for many, had become difficult to understand.
But his adoption of a 10 p.m. curfew for bars and restaurants and restrictions on social mixing has raised spirits in his Conservative Party, with some lawmakers threatening to rebel and vote against his plans Tuesday.
Ahead of the vote, which the government is unlikely to lose, Johnson urged his lawmakers to support his new system, which subjects regions to different restrictions based on the area’s level of risk, be it medium, high or very high.
Addressing virtually a private meeting of Conservative Party lawmakers, the prime minister defended his system, saying a localized response was needed, a lawmaker present said.
Johnson acknowledged that while any restrictions went against his instincts, action was necessary, the legislator said, adding that he received a comprehensive hearing.
But Starmer’s words may put even more pressure on Johnson, who has defended his decision not to reintroduce a total lockdown saying he was trying to protect lives and livelihoods by balancing public health and the economy.
“If we don’t do this, the cost to the economy will be much higher in the long run,” Starmer said.
“If the R rate continues out of control, it will be the economy that pays in the long run, so this will really save money in the long run.”
[ad_2]
