COVID-19: UK imposes toughest lockdown since March as new variant wreaks havoc

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on January 4 announced the toughest national lockdown since March, as the hospitalisations from the new coronavirus variant across the UK surged. Johnson asked people to stay at home saying, that the “hospitals are now under more pressure than they have been at any other point throughout the pandemic.” The national lockdown was imposed across entire England for four weeks, until mid-February, as the new variant was spreading in a “frustrating and alarming” manner, with record 26,626 hospitalisations as of January 4, which was a 30 per cent spike within a week, and surpassed March-April rate of hospital admissions by 40 per cent. 

In an official release, the UK Prime Minister instructed citizens to remain confined at home and ordered all primary schools, secondary schools, and colleges to move to remote learning. Furthermore, he advised the clinically extremely vulnerable population to begin shielding again, adding that the UK government would dispatch letters with an advisory about the quarantine. “All non-essential retail, hospitality, and personal care services must close, or remain closed,” the government announced. Restaurants were allowed to operate partially for delivery, takeaway, or -and-collect of food and non-alcoholic drinks, meanwhile, all hospitality venues were asked to halt takeaway or -and-collect alcohol with immediate effect.

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Only essential shops such as a pharmacy were allowed to open, all public, entertainment, and recreational venues were asked to shut down as per the new rules. “Indoor and outdoor sports facilities including sports courts, gyms, golf courses, swimming pools, and riding arenas must close down,” the Downing Street release informed. Movement only limited to essential shopping, exercise such as walk, COVID-19 testing, medical assistance, or escaping domestic abuse was permitted, legally. 

Hospitals to 'overwhelm' in 21 days

In a late-night televised address, PM Johnson told the citizens that the UK Chief Medical Officers waned about the COVID threat level shift from level four to level five, indicating that, “if action is not taken NHS capacity may be overwhelmed within 21 days.” Speaking to the Brits, UK PM said, “The weeks ahead will be the hardest yet but I really do believe that we’re entering the last phase of the struggle.” He added that a massive ramp-up operation was underway to vaccinate 13 million in the high-risk group by mid-February. Meanwhile, Scotland’s leader, Nicola Sturgeon, who also imposed a lockdown, told the press conference in Edinburg, “I am more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year.” 

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