[ad_1]
Tighter restrictions on the coronavirus could be imposed in England as part of a new three-tier lockdown if cases are not controlled, according to reports.
Bar closures and a ban on social contact outside domestic groups could be implemented at the local or national level to cope with rising infections, now at a level higher than the peak of the first wave.
The UK has now had 503,000 confirmed cases of the disease, with record daily increases for much of the last fortnight which, if anything has been reported, have not been reported due to a ‘counting error’ from Public Health England .
According to leaked government documents seen by The Guardian, the draft ‘Covid-19 Proposed Social Distancing Framework’ plan is designed to simplify existing localized restrictions.
However, the plans have yet to be finalized and signed by officials at No. 10, and several of the measures could still be relaxed, according to the newspaper.
Schools are not mentioned in the draft, although visits to nursing homes can only be allowed in exceptional circumstances.
(Image: Julian Hamilton / Daily Mirror)
“Avoiding the mixing of homes and closing businesses and places where there is close social interaction was recommended as the best way to reduce R,” the documents state, following the advice of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).
Britain gradually emerged from a national lockdown over the summer, but many areas, including major cities like Manchester and Glasgow, are currently subject to local restrictions.
In an interview Sunday, Boris Johnson denied a suggestion that local restrictions were not working as infection rates continued to rise in affected areas and no end was in sight to the measures.
The three-tier system aims to improve people’s compliance with the rules, The Guardian said.
(Image: Press Association Images)
The documents say that many Britons do not have a clear understanding of the rules that apply to them.
The levels are intended to be ‘minimum standards’ and specific local circumstances would also be taken into account, the newspaper continued, citing a government source.
Explanation of the three-level system
Red alert – level 3
No social contact with anyone outside of your home in any setting; closure of hotel and leisure businesses; amateur sports and prohibited hobbies
Amber Alert – Level 2
No social contact in private homes or gardens outside of their bubbles; avoid visiting nursing homes; only take essential trips
Green alert – level 1
‘Rule of six’ for meetings; wear masks in shops and pubs and in transport; Curfew at 10 pm in hospitality; 15 people at weddings, 30 at funerals
(Image: Daily Mirror / Andy Stenning)
Downing Street announced last week a tightening of restrictions on socialization in the northeast of England, in response to the high and growing rates of Covid-19 infection in the region, the latest in a series of local measures.
There are currently 50 different areas of England with overlapping restrictions, some legal and some guidance, and even the Prime Minister himself was unable to explain them last week.
No10’s sources had previously confirmed that officials were looking for a ‘traffic light system’ that would see places with the most stringent restrictions, such as Bolton, marked as level one.
Regions with less strict measures would be placed at level two, and the rest of the country that is not under local blockade would be placed at level three.
It comes as Public Health England (PHE) admitted that it missed counting 15,481 positive coronavirus cases since September 25.
On Sunday, the total number of infections in the UK rose to a record 12,872 and PHE blamed a ‘glitch’ that led to a delay in adding cases to the board.
[ad_2]
