MUTANT STRAIN ‘OUT OF CONTROL’
A NEW, mutant strain of the coronavirus is “out of control”, and countries across Europe are shutting down travel from the United Kingdom in response.
The new variant of COVID-19, which spreads more easily, has forced the British government to impose stricter social distancing rules across the country, including tier four restrictions in London and southeastern England.
The tier four rules affect about 18 million people, who will be banned from travelling or mixing with different households.
People in other parts of the UK will only be allowed to mix on Christmas Day.
“We have to act to protect the public,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at a media briefing yesterday, having promised just last week that restrictions would actually be relaxed over the Christmas period.
“The spread is being driven by the new variant of the virus. It appears to spread more easily, and may be up to 70 per cent more transmissible than the earlier strain,” he said.
“Given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus, and the potential risk it poses, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned.
“I seriously believe there is no alternative open to me.”
Britain’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said the new variant appeared to have a “significant, substantial increase in transmissibility”.
“It’s also got variants in the areas of the virus that are known to be associated with how the virus binds to cells and enters cells,” he said.
“So there are some changes which cause concern in terms of how the virus looks.”
He said that, as of mid-December, more than 60 per cent of cases in London were from the new strain. A month ago, that figure was less than 30 per cent.
“What this tells us is that this new variant not only moves fast –– it is increased in terms of its ability to transmit –– but it is becoming the dominant variant. It is beating all the others in terms of transmission.”
England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said there was no evidence to suggest the variant is more deadly, nor
that vaccines developed to combat COVID-19 will be any less effective against it.
Speaking to the BBC, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said “the new variant is out of control”.
“This news about the new variant has been an incredibly difficult end to, frankly, an awful year. And it’s important for everybody to essentially act like they might have the virus,” Mr Hancock said.
“We know that tier three works for the old variant. But we know that it doesn’t work with the new variant, because the new variant spreads more easily. So that is why there are movement restrictions, to try to stop this new variant from spreading.”
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon already announced a travel ban north of the border with England, citing the risk of the new strain–– officially known as VUI-202012/01–– being imported.
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford is imposing level four restrictions from midnight, local time. Northern Ireland is going into lockdown on Boxing Day.