England lockdown easing put on hold
A PLANNED easing of England’s lockdown has been postponed a day before it was due to come into effect, as the Prime Minister warned the country “cannot be complacent” amid a rise in the prevalence of coronavirus in the community.
Measures due to be lifted today, including allowing small wedding receptions and reopening bowling alleys and casinos, were yesterday delayed for at least two weeks.
And in a strengthening of precautions, Boris Johnson announced that face coverings will become mandatory in indoor settings such as museums, galleries, cinemas and places of worship from August 8.
In a Downing Street press conference, the Prime Minister revealed what he described as a “pretty punchy” new slogan – “Hands, face, space” – for people to be mindful of in their efforts to control the spread of Covid-19.
Standing alongside Mr Johnson, England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, warned it might not be possible to ease lockdown further, saying the UK has “probably reached near the limit or the limits” of what can be done to reopen society.
Yesterday’s news came after local lockdown measures were announced in parts of the North West of England and areas of West Yorkshire, banning people from different households meeting indoors or in gardens following a spike in virus cases.
Mr Johnson told the briefing: “As we see these rises around the world, we can’t fool ourselves that we are exempt. We must be willing to react to the first signs of trouble.”
He added that, with numbers rising, “our assessment is that we should squeeze that brake pedal in order to keep the virus under control”.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said there has been an increase in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in England, with Mr Johnson saying the prevalence of the virus in the community is likely to be rising for the first time since May.
According to the ONS, between July 20 and 26 there were around 0.78 new Covid19 infections for every 10,000 people in the community population in England – equal to around 4,200 new cases per day.
This is up from an estimated 2,800 new cases a day in the previous week.
Mr Johnson said that, while most people are following the rules, there will be a “greater police presence” to ensure the public is adhering to requirements around face coverings.
Shielding advice will still be paused as planned today and the plan to allow more discretion for employers with regard to staff returning to work will also go ahead, the Prime Minister said.
Accepting the news would be a “real blow” to people who had wedding plans or those who can no longer celebrate Eid as they had hoped, Mr Johnson said “we simply cannot take the risk” but vowed to open up more fully “as soon as we possibly can”.