Britain: curfew ‘obvious next step’
A curfew would be an “obvious next step” for containing the coronavirus if new lockdown rules fail to reverse the increase in the spread of the infection, British cabinet ministers believe.
Pubs and restaurants are already closing at 10pm in areas that have been placed under lockdown because of infection rates and these measures could be rolled out wider amid fears people tend not to adhere to social distancing rules when they consume alcohol.
The proposal would affect greater numbers of young people, who have been blamed for a spike in infections.
A senior government source said: “A national curfew is the obvious next step if the numbers keep rising despite all the steps we are now taking.”
Robert Buckland, the Justice Secretary, suggested curfews might be needed because young people “getting together and enjoying themselves” are forgetting social distancing rules.
Prof Peter Openshaw, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage), warned that if the UK did not go “back to some degree of lockdown” then the country would be plunged into a “hard lockdown in short order”.
A new restriction limiting social gatherings to a maximum of six people came into force on Monday.
Meanwhile, nine in 10 UK doctors fear a second wave is on its way, with “alarmingly daily” high , cases polling now shows.
The British Medical Association called for urgent action to sort out test and trace, warning that the infection is “spreading blindly” because of delays accessing tests.
Their survey found that 86 percent of more than 8,000 doctors and medical students in England said that a second peak was likely or very likely in the next six months. —
Nine in 10 UK doctors fear a second wave