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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that “now is the time for maximum vigilance” and that stricter lockdown measures may be necessary “if we believe that things are not being observed correctly.”
On a visit to a vaccination center in Bristol, he said: “We are going to keep the rules under constant review.
“Where we have to squeeze them, we will.
“We already have rules that, if followed correctly, we think can make a big, big difference.
“It’s now that people need to focus … when they go shopping, whether they buy cups of coffee in the park or whatever, they have to think about spreading the disease.”
He added: “Now is the time for maximum vigilance, maximum observance of the rules.
“Of course, if we feel like things are not being viewed correctly, we may need to do more.”
Johnson said it would be better for people to follow the existing rules rather than having to introduce new lockdown measures.
The Prime Minister said: “It is much, much better for people to obey the rules than we have to simply enact new rules.”
Justifying his trip from London to Bristol, Johnson said it was “essential that I explain to the public what we are doing to deploy the mass vaccination centers.”
He added: “Everyone should ask themselves if they need to leave home, if they need to do something that could end up spreading the disease.”
His comments came when, when asked about whether the government would soon introduce stricter lockdown restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said they are “constantly checking things out.”
He said: “What matters is that people follow the rules, that’s the most important thing, and stay home whenever possible.
“Obviously there are people here, on my team here at Epsom racecourse, who have gone to give vaccinations and people have to come to get vaccinated.
“But ultimately, the bottom line is that people play by the rules.”
He added that the government will publish daily data on the number of people who have been vaccinated, starting Monday afternoon.
Mr Hancock said that “supply is the limiting factor for the rate”, but the UK has “one of the largest supplies in the world, including home-made Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine”. The UK has yet to reach the peak of the current Covid-19 wave, and the next few weeks will be “the worst” of the pandemic for the NHS, England’s chief medical officer warned.
Professor Chris Whitty said the launch of the vaccine offered hope that lockdown restrictions could be lifted in the coming months, but described the current death rate in the UK as “appalling”.
During a BBC conference call on the current high case rates, he said: “I’m afraid we are not at the top yet.
“I think we will be on top if everyone can absolutely duplicate and minimize their contacts.
“The point of blocking is to carry that forward, but it only works if everyone really thinks about every individual interaction they have and tries to minimize them.”
Professor Whitty said the new variant of the coronavirus was causing a “significant problem”, telling BBC Breakfast: “We will get through it together, but right now we are at the worst moment of the epidemic for the UK.”
When asked if the coronavirus is spreading outdoors, Professor Whitty said the risks were much lower than indoors, but said problems could arise if people gathered in groups, such as huddled around a booth. From the market.
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reportedly discussed the possibility of introducing tighter controls to ensure the public abides by restrictions, such as preventing people from exercising with another person.
Professor Whitty told BBC Radio 4’s Today show that the risks of, for example, running past someone were “very low”, but said there could be an argument for wearing masks in some circumstances.
“If people, for example, are huddled in a queue outside, if they are actually huddled around a market stall or something like that, that is a risk with this virus, and in that situation there may be some logic for the people who think about wearing masks. “
When asked if people should wear masks in all outdoor settings, he said the most important thing was that people stay home unless their travel is essential.
“I think the most important thing is that people should not leave the house unless it is absolutely necessary,” he said.
“And where they do, try to keep your distance from people.”
He added: “In a sense, modifying the rules can be helpful, but the most important thing is that everyone respects the spirit of the rules that exist at the moment.
“Everyone knows what to do. And I think that’s the key: minimize the number of contacts. “
Professor Whitty suggested that measures may still be necessary until “sometime in the spring” to stop the spread of the virus.
“We’re really going to have to do some important action for all of us for several more weeks until probably sometime in the spring for much of what we have to do,” he said.
But he suggested it will be “months, not years” before life returns to normal.
He added: “I am sure we will come back to life as it was before at some point, that is not in doubt.
“That is the life we all want to lead.”
It comes as seven mass vaccination centers open in England in a bid to accelerate the launch of Pfizer and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines.
Around two million people in the UK have been vaccinated against Covid-19, as the government aims to hit the target of vaccinating around 15 million most at risk by mid-February.
The new centers, including a soccer stadium and tennis club, will be joined by hundreds of GP-led and hospital services later this week, along with the first pharmacy-run pilot sites, bringing the total by England at around 1,200.
The first patient to receive their Oxford / AstraZeneca injection at the Newcastle mass vaccination center at the Center for Life was Nana Kwabena Edusei, 81, originally from Ghana but has lived in the UK for 55 years.
Speaking earlier, Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi said the launch of the vaccine could take place 24 hours a day if there are sufficient supplies of the vaccine from manufacturers.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today show: “If we have to go to work 24 hours a day, we will definitely do it 24 hours a day to make sure we get vaccinated as quickly as possible.”
Mr. Zahawi also suggested that police officers, teachers and other critical workers will be in the “highest category of phase two” of the vaccine release.
Phase one includes the clinically vulnerable, the elderly, and NHS and welfare workers.
Zahawi urged people to follow the rules in all settings, such as observing one-way systems in supermarkets, adding that he was concerned about images of crowded beaches.
He told Sky News: “We are concerned that, for example, in supermarkets, we need to make sure that people actually wear masks and follow the one-way system rule, and when they are able to operate safely that people wait outside. from supermarkets.
“We don’t want to be tougher because this is quite a difficult blockade, but what we need is for people to behave as if they have the virus in order to control this virus while we vaccinate.”
NHS England National Medical Director, Professor Stephen Powis, also urged the public to continue to follow the rules while coronavirus vaccines are rolled out.
“The vaccine program is not going to have an impact on Covid for a few months yet,” he told Sky News.
“The NHS is under intense pressure, which is potentially going to get worse, so it is really important that, as we implement vaccines, everyone remembers to abide by current social distancing rules.
“I know it’s been a long 12 months and it’s easy to get tired of these restrictions, but I can’t stress enough the danger the NHS is in.”
On Sunday, a public health director said that the coronavirus cases in Wales are “cause for grave concern”, while Scotland’s Deputy Prime Minister John Swinney said Scotland is facing “a very alarming situation” with the virus. .
Northern Ireland’s health chiefs said the number of Covid-19 patients will double by the third week of January, and a trusted chief said that “our hospitals are facing an abyss.”
Later Monday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock will present the government’s vaccine delivery plan, calling it the “cornerstone of our exit from the pandemic.”
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