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A second national lockdown might be necessary if the latest coronavirus restrictions don’t work, the foreign secretary told Sky News.
Speaking to Kay Burley, Dominic Raab said “we cannot rule it out,” but stressed that the government “will do everything possible to prevent it.”
The chancellor spoke after Prime Minister Boris Johnson. announced new restrictions to try to combat the increase in COVID-19 cases in England:
- Office workers should go back to work from home if they can
- As of Thursday, all pubs, bars and restaurants must only offer table service and close at 10pm.
- All retail staff, people who use taxis and all who use hospitality services are required to wear face covers, with fines amounting to at least £ 200 for non-compliance
- Weddings can only include 15 people, while funerals can host up to 30
- The “rule of six” has been extended to indoor sports teams
In a televised address to the nation Tuesday night, the PM they urged the british to “summon discipline and determination” to avoid a second national lockdown after warning that there have been “too many infractions” of the rules.
When asked about the possibility of another national shutdown, Raab told Sky News: “We have always said that we have a kind of repository of measures in the arsenal to take.
“I don’t think we can speculate what else could be done.
“But the reality is that they will be more intrusive or we could end up in a national blockade.
“That is what we want to avoid.”
The foreign secretary described the government’s approach as “focused, balanced and proportionate.”
And he defended the 10 p.m. curfew out of hospitality, after being told that only 5% of cases in recent figures were linked to pubs, bars and restaurants.
“We know that in bars and restaurants, especially after people have had a few drinks, as it progresses into the late hours of the night, there is a risk that compliance with the guide will decrease a bit,” Raab said.
“So we are taking this measure, we trust the evidence that we have at the national and international level that it is one of the elements that we must take.”
With Johnson warning that the new rules could be in effect for up to six months, the foreign secretary was asked if the chancellor would extend the license scheme.
Mr. Raab said that Rishi Sunak “was not willing to have a full extension”, a potential indication that a partial extension could be in the offing.
