New lockdown as U.K. exceeds 1 million cases
LONDON » Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday announced a new month- long lockdown for England after being warned that without tough action a resurgent coronavirus outbreak will overwhelm hospitals in weeks.
On the day the U. K. passed 1 million confirmed COVID- 19 cases, Johnson made a sudden about- face and confirmed that stringent restrictions on business and daily life would begin Thursday and last until Dec. 2.
He said at a televised news conference that “no responsible prime minister” could ignore the grim figures. “Unless we act, we could see deaths in this country running at several thousand a day,” said Johnson, who was hospitalized this year for a serious case of COVID- 19.
Under the new restrictions, bars and restaurants can offer only take- out, nonessential shops must close and people will be able to leave home only for a short list of reasons, including exercise. Activities ranging from haircuts to foreign holidays once again must be put on hold.
Unlike during the U. K.’ s first threemonth lockdown this year, schools, universities, construction sites and manufacturing businesses will stay open.
As in other European countries, virus cases in the U. K. began to climb after lockdown measures were eased in the summer and people began to return to workplaces, schools, universities and social life. The Office for National Statistics estimated Friday that one in 100 people in England had the virus in the week Oct. 17- 23.
Johnson had hoped a set of regional restrictions introduced earlier in October would be enough to push numbers down. But government scientific advisers predict that on the outbreak’s current trajectory, demand for hospital beds will exceed capacity by the first week of December, even if temporary hospitals set up during the first peak of the virus are reopened.
As European countries such as France, Germany and Belgium imposed a second lockdown amid surging caseloads, it looked inevitable that Johnson would follow. Official figures announced Saturday recorded 21,915 new cases confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing Britain’s total since the start of the pandemic to 1,011,660. Britain’s death toll from the coronavirus is 46,555, the highest in Europe, with 326 new deaths announced Saturday.
Any new lockdown will need Parliament’s approval, and a vote is scheduled for Wednesday. The new restrictions would apply to England. Other parts of the U. K. set their own public health measures, with Wales and Northern Ireland effectively in lockdown and Scotland under a set of tough regional restrictions.