Britain could be thrown into ‘Tier 5’ lockdown
THE UK could be thrown into a “Tier 5” lockdown with even harsher restrictions than the November lockdown.
Government scientists have reportedly told Prime Minister Boris Johnson he needs to implement stricter measures to stop COVID-19 from spiralling out of control.
There is no suggestion it would be called “Tier 5”, but the measures that are being called for go further than the current Tier 4 ones.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has told the PM that because of the new faster-spreading variant of the virus, the R-rate would surge above one in January, it has been reported.
Experts have told Mr Johnson that a New Year national lockdown similar to the one in November where schools remain open will not be enough.
They recommend even stronger measures where secondary schools are shut and pubs and non-essential shops remain closed, Politico reports. SAGE has reportedly advised that the R-rate could be kept below one if all schools remained closed in January.
On Monday, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said the government was still set on staggering the reopening of schools as planned but warned of “trade-offs”.
He said the current plan was for primary school pupils, GCSE and A-level students and children of key workers to return to school next week, with other secondary school students returning the following week.
“We do keep things under review, and we’ll be talking to head teachers and teachers in the next 24, 48 hours just to make sure that our plans are really robust,” he told Times Radio.