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Boris Johnson is trying to fight a growing backlash among Conservative MPs on the new levels of coronavirus, with more than 50 making their concerns public.
By a Sky News tally, at least 54 Conservatives have expressed dissatisfaction with the tiered ranking or have said they are unlikely to support the measures when it comes to a vote next week.
Find your area on this map to find out what level you have been placed on
“I totally understand why people are frustrated, I understand that,” the prime minister said of the COVID-19 restrictions.
“But I really, really hope that people also understand that I think the vast majority of the British public wants us to work hard, do the right thing and defeat the virus together.”
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It comes after it was revealed that 99% of England’s population will fall into the two hardest levels when the second national lockdown ends on December 2.
Several high-level conservatives have urged the government to publish an analysis of the impact that these strict rules will have on reducing infection rates, as well as the effect they will have on people’s livelihoods and the broader business community.
Approximately 32 million people, covering 57.3% of England, will enter Level 2. But 23.3 million people (41.5% of the population) will be placed at Level 3 as of 2 December.
Much of the Midlands, the Northeast, and the Northwest will be subject to the most severe measures. Hospitality venues will be closed in the lead-up to Christmas unless they can provide takeout or delivery services, and households are prohibited from mixing indoors.
But the figures suggest that of the 119 areas that will be at Level 3 starting next week, only eight have reported an increase in coronavirus cases.
Johnson emphasized that he understood people’s frustrations, but defended the reinforced levels.
“I know it is very frustrating for people who feel that they are in a high-level area when there is very little incidence in their village or area. I totally understand why people are so frustrated,” said the prime minister.
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“But the difficulty is that if you did it another way, you would divide the country into lots and lots of very complicated subdivisions in the first place.
“There has to be some simplicity and clarity in the way we do this.
“The second problem is that, unfortunately, our experience is that when a high incidence area is quite close to a low incidence area, unless you overcome the problem in the high incidence area, I am afraid that the low incidence area starts to catch up. “
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PM Faces Backlash Over COVID Levels
The government has promised that it will publish an impact assessment of the measures before parliamentarians vote on them on Tuesday, amid concerns that the economic damage and health effects of the tiered system have not been fully taken into account.
In an attempt to soften the blow for Tier 3 areas, ministers promise them access to rapid-result COVID-19 tests to help reduce infections, as well as cash subsidies.
Additional cash will also be offered to areas located at Level 2 and Level 3.
On access to testing, Johnson said: “We have dozens, maybe hundreds of millions of lateral flow tests coming into this country. We already have a huge reserve.
“The difficulty is not the supply at the moment, the difficulty is working with the local government, the local communities to do it.”
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‘Certainly possible’ levels could change before Christmas
The prime minister added: “So I don’t think supply is the problem. The problem will be mobilizing everyone to understand the potential benefits of mass community testing.”
Johnson’s comments come after one of his ministers said that parts of England could have their coronavirus restrictions before Christmas.
Coronavirus levels are due to be reviewed by the government on December 16.
Speaking with Kay Burley, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said there was “every reason” to believe some areas could move down the level system.
The prime minister echoed this, saying that “there really is a possibility” of that happening.
