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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on the public to “call for discipline and determination” to follow the new coronavirus rules announced Tuesday.
In a television broadcast to the country, he warned that the government can go further if the people do not adhere to them.
Johnson said that while the vast majority have complied with the measures so far, “there have been too many violations.”
New restrictions were announced earlier across the UK, and Johnson’s warning rules could last up to six months.
In England, the rules on covering the face have been expanded and the number of people allowed at weddings has been cut in half.
Pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues will need to close at 22:00 BST, while fines for breaking the rules will also increase to £ 200 on the first offense.
Hospitality venues will also have to close early in Scotland and Wales, but Scotland has gone further, banning people from visiting other people’s homes. Northern Ireland has also banned households from mixing indoors.
It comes as the number of cases in the UK rose by 4,926 on Tuesday, government figures showed, and deaths rose by 37.
‘You can’t just lock up the elderly’
Speaking Tuesday night, Johnson explained the new measures, saying they were “robust but proportionate.”
“And for those who say that we don’t need these things, and that we should let people take their own risks, I tell them that these risks are not ours,” he said.
“The tragic reality of having Covid is that your mild cough can be someone else’s death sentence.
“And as for the suggestion that we should just lock up the elderly and the vulnerable, with all the suffering that would entail, I must tell you that this is simply not realistic, because if you let the virus pass through the rest of the population inevitably too it would reach the elderly, and in much greater numbers. “
Johnson said he was “deeply and spiritually reluctant” to infringe on anyone’s freedom, but added: “Unless we take action, the risk is that we will have to take tougher action later.”
“If people do not follow the rules that we have established, then we must reserve the right to go further,” he added.
More police will be put on the streets and the Army will be used as backup if necessary, he said.
“If we follow these simple rules together, we will spend this winter together,” he added. Unquestionably, difficult months will come.
“And the fight against Covid is not over. I have no doubt, however, that great days await us.
“But now is the time for all of us to summon the discipline, determination and spirit of unity to help us.”
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In her statement Tuesday night, Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “In a global pandemic from a virus that does not yet have a vaccine, we simply cannot be 100% normal. No country can. Therefore , we must choose our priorities “.
He said that although “today it must seem like a step backwards”, the country is “in a much stronger position than in the spring.”
“It won’t last forever and someday, hopefully soon, we’ll be looking back, not living through it,” he said.
He added: “I will never find the words to thank you all enough for the enormous sacrifices you have made so far. And I am sorry to be asking for more.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford said: “In the weeks and months ahead, there is a very real possibility that we can see the coronavirus regain a foothold in our local communities, towns and cities. None of us want that to happen. ” again”.
Earlier, Johnson told MPs that the new rules were “carefully judged” to achieve the maximum reduction in the R-number, which measures how quickly the virus spreads, while causing “the least damage to lives and media. of life”.
If these restrictions fail to bring the R number below one, the point where the epidemic is no longer growing, “then we reserve the right to deploy greater firepower with significantly higher restrictions,” he said.
The latest estimate of R for the whole of the UK is between 1.1 and 1.4.
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Johnson said that unless progress is made, people should assume the restrictions will stay in place for “maybe six months.”
But Ms Sturgeon said the rules in Scotland “not necessarily” will be in effect for six months, and will be reviewed every three weeks.
Labor’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth told the BBC that the new restrictions could have been avoided if the government “arranged testing and tracing.”
Ashworth said the Labor Party supported the new measures but “we should not have been here.”
“So what we have to do now is reduce infections, we all have to follow the rules, but the government in return really has to fix this testing system and this tracking system, and give people the support when they need to isolate themselves. . “
What are the new rules?
In England:
- Office workers are told to return to work from home if possible
- Penalties for not wearing a mask or gathering in groups of more than six will increase to £ 200 on the first offense
- Starting Thursday, September 24, all pubs, bars and restaurants will be restricted to table service only. Conclusions can continue
- Also starting on Thursday, hospitality venues must close at 10pm, which means closing at that time, not taking last orders (in Scotland the same curfew rule goes into effect on Friday)
- All taxi drivers and passengers must wear face covers starting Wednesday.
- Retail staff and customers in indoor hospitality venues will also be required to wear masks starting Thursday, except when seated at a table eating or drinking.
- Starting Monday, September 28, only 15 people will be able to attend weddings and civil unions, in groups of six. Funerals can still take place with up to 30 people
- In addition, as of September 28, only indoor sports for adults can be practiced in groups of less than six
- The planned return of spectators to the sports facilities will not be anticipated as of October 1
In Scotland:
- People across Scotland are advised not to visit other homes in the interior from Wednesday 23rd September. This will become law as of Friday.
- There will be exceptions for those who live alone or alone with children, who form extended households. The rules will also not apply to non-living couples, merchants, or the provision of informal child care services such as grandparents.
- As of Friday, pubs and restaurants must close at 22:00
- The prime minister urged people not to book trips abroad for the October holidays.
In Wales:
- Pubs, cafes and restaurants in Wales will need to close at 10pm starting Thursday, and alcohol sales from supermarkets and unlicensed shops will also stop after that time.
- Pubs will also be required to provide table service only
In Northern Ireland:
- Since Tuesday night, people cannot meet anyone they do not live with within their home.
- There are only limited exceptions.
