Brits scramble to cut down case spike
Partying young people considered cause of rise
LONDON — Britain’s government is banning gatherings of more than six people in England, as officials try to keep a lid on daily new coronavirus infections after a sharp spike across the U.K. that has been largely blamed on party-going young adults disregarding social distancing rules.
Downing Street said urgent action was needed after the number of daily laboratory-confirmed positive cases hit nearly 3,000 on Sunday.
The figure dipped Tuesday to 2,460.
Officials said that starting Monday, the legal limit on all social gatherings in England will be reduced from the current 30 people to six.
The new law applies both indoors and outdoors, including private homes, restaurants and parks. Failure to comply could result in a $130 fine.
Weddings, school, funerals and organized team sports are exempt, and larger gatherings will also be allowed if the household or “support bubble” is larger than six.
Government ministers and scientists took to the airways to urge Britons not to let down their guard.
“We’ve been able to relax a bit over the summer ... but these latest figures really show us that much as people might like to say ‘Oh well, it’s gone away’ — this hasn’t gone away,” said Dr. Jonathan Van-tam, the government’s deputy chief medical officer.
He said while the rise in infections is “much more marked” among people between 17 and 21, he was concerned about a “more general and creeping geographic trend” across the U.K.
“People have relaxed too much,” he said. “Now is the time for us to re-engage and realize that this is a continuing threat.”
The U.K. has Europe’s worst death toll from the virus, with nearly
41,600 deaths within 28 days of testing positive. The actual toll is believed to be far higher as the government tally does not include those who died without having been tested.
Meanwhile, “The Phantom of the Opera” composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has told British lawmakers that the arts are “at the point of no return,” and urged the government to set a date for theaters to be allowed to reopen.
Lloyd Webber spoke about the struggles of staging socially distanced shows and making them profitable, noting that very few shows “hit the jackpot” like “Hamilton,” “Lion King” or “Phantom.”
He added that theater shows are “not like cinema, you can’t just open the building.”
In other developments:
■ Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday praised China’s role in battling the coronavirus pandemic and expressed support for the World Health Organization. Xi told a televised assembly at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing that China’s battle against COVID-19 demonstrated the strengths of its socialist system and traditional Chinese culture in stirring motivation, building consensus and pooling resources.
■ Israel’s Health Ministry says the country’s top health officials will self-quarantine after contact with an infected person. The country’s health minister Yuli Edelstein and coronavirus czar Ronni Gamzu, who is leading the fight to stem Israel’s surging coronavirus cases, were among those set to self-isolate.
■ Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis reacted angrily to the local branch of the World Health Organization voicing its opposition to his country’s possible plan to reduce contact tracing for the coronavirus. Babis tweeted the WHO should “keep quiet,” saying the country has one of the lowest death rates in Europe.