CLOSING TIME
Britain to shut pubs early, introduce stiff lockdown fines as virus spreads ‘rapidly and probably exponentially’
British pubs will have to close early and people who fail to obey quarantine rules will face stiff fines under new lockdown restrictions to curb a surging wave of new coronavirus infections.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to announce the new measures today, a day after the UK’s chief medical officers raised the nation’s Covid-19 alert level, saying the virus is in general circulation and spreading fast. Other top medical experts said Britain’s number of daily new infections — which stood yesterday at 4300 — could rise as high as 50,000 a day in October if immediate action is not taken.
The prime minister’s office said starting Friday, pubs, bars and other hospitality venues will be restricted to table service only and will have to close at 10pm.
Johnson is due to update Parliament on the coronavirus situation today after meetings of his Cabinet and the government’s crisis committee, Cobra. He will also make a televised address to the nation about efforts to combat the virus.
The UK has gradually been increasing restrictions as cases rise, with people barred from meeting in large groups. But the measures are far less stringent than a nationwide lockdown imposed in March that saw restrictions on movement and most businesses closed. It was eased starting in June as cases began to fall, but that trend has now been reversed.
Yesterday, the chief medical officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland raised the virus alert from three to four, the secondhighest level, on the advice of the Joint Biosecurity Centre. They said cases of Covid-19 were rising “rapidly and probably exponentially”.
In a live televised briefing, Chief Scientific Officer Patrick Vallance and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said after a slow rise in new infections over the summer, the number of new Covid-19 cases is now doubling every seven days.
They said new infections could increase tenfold to almost 50,000 a day next month if nothing is done now. In other countries, such an increase has led to a rise in deaths, Whitty said.
Whitty stressed that infection rates are rising among all age groups and infections among the young and healthy will inevitably spread to friends, family and ultimately to the most vulnerable in society.
To persuade people to stay home if they test positive, the government announced it would pay low-income workers £500 ($961) if they are told to self-isolate for 14 days. It also said those breaking quarantines could face fines up to £10,000.
Britain has Europe’s highest death toll in the pandemic, with more than 41,800 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Experts say all such figures understate the true impact of the pandemic.
The 4300 new infections reported yesterday hit a level not seen since early May. Britain’s highest daily number of new infections peaked at 6199 cases on April 5. While death rates remain relatively low so far, Whitty warned deaths are likely to rise. The UK reported a seven-day average of 21 deaths a day last week, compared with a peak of 942 deaths on April 10.
These numbers include only deaths that are directly related to Covid-19. The real toll could be much higher if emergency services are overwhelmed by coronavirus cases and the National Health Service has to divert resources from treating other diseases, Whitty said. Dr Michael Head, a global health expert at the University of Southampton, noted that yesterday’s warning highlighted the worst possible situation and did not take into account local lockdowns that could stem the spread of the virus.
“It is important to note that the chief medical [officer] did say the potential for 50,000 cases a day is a ‘worst-case scenario’,” he said, but added “it’s a timely reminder that the
It’s a timely reminder that the pandemic is accelerating, both globally and also here in the UK.
Dr Michael Head, University of Southampton
pandemic is accelerating, both globally and also here in the UK”.
The rise in UK infection rates comes as lawmakers across the political spectrum have criticised the Conservative government’s testing programme.
While ministers tout the record numbers of tests being performed, there are widespread reports of people having to travel hundreds of kilometres for tests or tests being voided because it’s taking labs too long to process them.