Lockdown now in place to ‘stop disease spread’
THE UK this week went into lockdown as the Prime Minister delivered the ultimatum that without drastic national action “there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope” with the devastation caused by coronavirus.
The public will only be allowed to leave home for one of four reasons, with the police poised to issue fines and break up gatherings if rules are ignored.
Weddings, baptisms and other gatherings are now banned, and all shops not selling essential items have been ordered to close, along with places of worship, playgrounds and outdoor gyms.
Addressing the nation from inside Number 10 Downing Street on Monday night, Boris Johnson said: “No Prime Minister wants to enact measures like this.”
It comes after health bosses in West Yorkshire confirmed that a woman in her 80s died at a hospital in Leeds after testing positive for coronavirus.
In the UK the death toll has risen to over 440.
There were 7 cases of coronavirus identified in Calderdale, compared to more than 8,000 country-wide yesterday.
Mr Johnson said: “Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses.”
He added: “And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger. To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it – meaning more people are likely to die, not just from coronavirus but from other illnesses as well. So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease.”
People will now only be allowed out of their homes to buy essential supplies, to exercise once a day, for medical visits or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person, or to travel to and from work. But employees should only go to work where it is absolutely necessary.
Mr Johnson said: “That’s all – these are the only reasons you should leave your home. You should not be meeting friends.”
“No Prime Minister wants to enact measures like this...” Boris Johnson
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