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– It appears that the spread is driven by a new variant of the virus that we became aware of last week, says British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a press conference on Saturday.
– This can be more than 70 percent more contagious than the first variant. However, the new tribe should not be more dangerous or more deadly, according to the prime minister.
During the fall, the government applied a scale in which infection control measures were classified into three steps based on their extent. Different rules have been applied in different areas, but recently 38 million people have been covered by the highest level.
The rapid spread of infection. in December it forces the government to take a fourth step. In London and the south-east of England, people are expected to stay home from Sunday. Only one person from another household will be allowed to meet outdoors. Stores and gyms are closed. Work must be done from home.
Christmas shopping at Burlington Mall in London on Saturday. But now it’s over. Stores in London and the southeast of England will be closed from Sunday.
Photo: Tolga Akmen / AFP
People living where the strictest restrictions are introduced should not celebrate Christmas with anyone other than those who live in the same household. Other regions of England can celebrate Christmas with up to two other households.
– With great regret I announce that we will not be able to celebrate Christmas as planned, says Boris Johnson.
– We must be realistic. We cannot meet our loved ones this Christmas. Instead, we’ll protect them so they can find each other next Christmas.
Earlier this week, Johnson said that he wants to avoid stricter rules and that it would be inhumane to try to cancel the Christmas celebration.
– When we get new facts, we must change our approach and our method, said the Prime Minister at the press conference.
Government scientific adviser Patrick Vallance says that more than 60 percent of those infected with COVID-19 in London in recent weeks have been affected by the new variant. According to Health Minister Matt Hancock, at least 60 local authorities in the UK have registered cases caused by the new strain. The mutation is fast becoming the dominant tribe in the country.
Various studies show that the new variant spreads more easily, but there is currently no indication that it causes more serious disease or that a higher proportion of infected people die. The number of deaths in the UK is closely monitored and reported to the World Health Organization (WHO).
– We must look more closely at how the vaccine bites the new variant. But at the moment, there doesn’t seem to be any difference. Tighter restrictions are required to keep the new variant of the virus in check, says Patrick Vallance.
The new strain of virus It has also been found among nine Danes, reports TT with reference to the Danish news agency Ritzau.
– We believe that the new variant also exists in other countries, says Patrick Vallance at the press conference.
On Saturday, 27,052 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 534 deaths were reported out of a total of 67,075 in the UK.
To date, 50,000 people in the UK have been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to Boris Johnson. Last week, the country became the first to approve the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine.
On Saturday night the message came from Edinburgh. Scotland closes its borders with the rest of Britain before Christmas to keep out the new, fast-spreading variant of the virus.
– The situation we find ourselves in now is perhaps the most dire during the entire pandemic, Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in a televised address on Saturday night.
