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Boris Johnson has insisted that England’s impending lockdown will end on December 2, “without a shred of doubt”, despite widespread fears that it may need to be extended.
The promise comes as experts warned that schools that remain open could mean that the R rate remains above one, meaning that coronavirus cases would continue to grow in a month. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove admitted that the month-long plan could take longer.
But on Monday, the Prime Minister told MPs that “whatever happens, these restrictions end on December 2 and any further measures will be a matter for this House of Commons.”
The pledge, which seemed to leave room for MPs to be asked to back an extension, comes as the prime minister faces a chorus of criticism from his own MPs and skepticism that a month will not be enough to adequately control the virus, and avoid a third confinement. Johnson was also charged with a “catastrophic leadership failure.”
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Some Tory MPs plan to vote against the prime minister’s plan, but Labor will back it, meaning the second lockdown will take effect on Thursday.
The prime minister has made a number of promises during the pandemic, only to turn a 180-degree turn at a later date, in particular by insisting that a second lockdown would not be necessary. He also faced criticism for saying the country would have a ‘world-class’ test-and-trace system and that he expected everything to be back to normal by Christmas.
Johnson promised MPs a new vote on the next stage of measures to combat Covid-19 when we ‘intend to return’ to a regional tiered system on December 2, and said people can expect to do their Christmas shopping in person. He repeatedly told MPs that the measures would automatically end in four weeks and that they would then decide what action comes next.
The first national blockade had to be extended.
When company bosses warned that the “truly devastating” measures would damage industry across the country, the prime minister also said that technological advances “will defeat this virus in the spring.”
He praised advances in medicine, including “near-instant” Covid-19 testing, and said there is a “real outlook” for a vaccine in the first quarter of next year.
Johnson had warned that “without action” there could be twice as many deaths during the winter as in the first wave, leaving “no alternative” to another national lockdown.
But he hinted that many more areas could be placed at level three at the end of the lockdown, saying: ‘The level that the areas enter will largely depend on how effectively we have all followed the instructions that we are giving. today.’
Sir Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of a “catastrophic leadership failure” for rejecting a recommendation by scientists to impose a shorter “circuit breaker” lockdown in September. The government previously ridiculed Sir Keir for backing the plan, which could have coincided with the disruption of schools for half a period.
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The Labor leader warned that the “human cost” of a rising daily death rate was the result of Johnson being “behind the curve” at every stage.
A scientist advising the government said “thousands of lives” would have been saved if the two-week “circuit breaker” had been imposed when it was recommended by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) on September 21.
Professor Andrew Hayward, who is part of the Advisory Group on New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats, told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that the move would also have “inflicted substantially less damage” to the economy than the new national lockdown.
Instead, the prime minister continued his regional focus, which will last until Thursday.
People will be allowed to exercise and socialize in public outdoor spaces with their home or someone else, while schools, universities and daycare centers will remain open under the new lockdown.
More than 150,000 teachers have called for schools to be closed, as experts warned that there is “substantial transmission” in secondary schools.
Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, managing director of the Confederation of British Industry, said the measures would create a “bleak winter” and would be “really devastating for business.”
Johnson also faced growing discontent from his own MPs, who are angered by the economic impact of a new shutdown and limits on personal freedom.
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