The rapid spread of the infection and the increasing death toll have prompted the British government to act. Now England is once again entering a lockdown.
“It is clear that we need to do more,” says Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The new mutated virus variant has hit the UK hard.
The health service is more strained than it has been at any time during the entire pandemic. The proportion of patients being treated in hospitals in England has increased by 30 percent in a week. The death toll has increased by 20 percent in the same period. If nothing is done, the health system could reach its maximum capacity within 21 days, the Prime Minister warns.
– This means that the government will once again instruct you to stay at home, says Boris Johnson in a live speech on Monday evening.
New lockdown
To curb the worrying development, England is once again entering a new lockdown, or so-called lockdown, similar to the one in March 2020. The new rules will come into effect from Wednesday and will affect around 56 million people.
This means, among other things, that the English are now only allowed to leave home for a number of valid reasons, including to buy essential goods, get to work (if you cannot work from home), exercise, seek medical care and escape physical abuse at home.
In addition, schools in England will switch to homeschooling with immediate effect.
Vaccinated more than the rest of Europe
A big difference between the situation last spring and the situation now is vaccination, says Boris Johnson.
– We in the UK have vaccinated more people than the rest of Europe combined, says Johnson and continues:
– If all goes well, we will have offered a first dose of vaccine to everyone in the four most prioritized groups by mid-February.
This means all people living in nursing homes and staff working there, all people over the age of 70, all healthcare and social workers on the front line, and people who are particularly sensitive to the virus for other reasons.
May expire in February
Even if the vaccination goes according to plan, it will take a few more weeks before the priority groups receive their second dose and reach immunity. And it could take another few weeks before the pressure on the healthcare system eases, according to the Prime Minister.
– We must therefore be careful regarding the timetable going forward, says Boris Johnsson.
However, he adds that the lockdown could be lifted as early as mid-February if everything goes according to plan.
Source: svt.se
