Millions in stringent new UK lockdown amid coronavirus variant surge

A surge in infection rate caused by a new variant of coronavirus has led to millions entering a stringent new stay-at-home lockdown in UK from Sunday, with n-essential shops and businesses w closed. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson anunced new rules at a briefing from 10 Downing Street on Saturday evening, which means a planned five-day “Christmas bubble” of relaxed rules has been cancelled in favour of a new Tier 4 level to current three-tier lockdown system to try and control surge in infections being caused by new mutation of dely virus.

"It seems that spre is w being driven by new variant of virus,” Johnson said.

“We have alerted World Health Organisation and are continuing to analyse available data to improve our understanding,” said Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England.

“re is current evidence to suggest new strain causes a higher mortality rate or that it affects vaccines and treatments although urgent work is underway to confirm this,” he said.

state-funded National Health Service (NHS) is set to vaccinate people against coronavirus on Christmas Day as part of a drive to accelerate number of iculations nationally, according to ‘ Sunday Times’. More than 100,000 Pfizer jabs have been booked at general practitioner (GP) surgeries and hospital hubs across country for coming week.

Under new Tier 4, people would be banned from mixing with anyone outside of ir household, including on Christmas Day, and for or tiers, Christmas rules allowing up to three households will w be limited to Christmas Day of December 25 only, rar than five days. changes will last for two weeks with first review w due on December 30.

new restrictions, similar to second national lockdown which ended in vember apply to all areas in South East which were in tier three, covering Kent, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey (excluding Waverley), Gosport, Havant, Portsmouth, Ror and Hastings. It also applies in London and East of England – Bedford, Central Bedford, Milton Keynes, Luton, Peterborough, Hertfordshire and Essex. In Wales, restrictions were brought forward pre-Christmas to also begin right away.

"We are sacrificing chance to see our loved ones this Christmas so we have a better chance of protecting ir lives so that we can see m at future Christmases," he said, ding that he “bitterly regretted” have to make se changes.

UK PM said re is evidence to suggest vaccines would be any less effective against new variant but that it was required to act fast to try and control its acceleration. "Our visers on New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats visory Group (Nervtag) have spent last few days analysing this new variant – re's evidence that it causes more severe illness or higher mortality but it does appear to be passed on significantly more quickly,” he said.

n-essential shops, gyms, cinemas, hairdressers and bowling alleys will be forced to close for two weeks, while people will be restricted to meeting one or person from ar household in an outdoor public . Johnson ded: "I kw how much emotion people invest in this time of year, and how important it is, for instance, for grandparents to see ir grandchildren, for families to be toger.

"So I kw how disappointing this will be. But we have said throughout this pandemic that we must and we will be guided by science. When science changes, we must change our response." Opposition Labour Party of causing “heartbreak” for millions by t acting in time.

“I think Prime Minister should apologise. This is t just one mistake when he has orwise got things right. It is same mistake over and over again,” said Sir Keir Starmer, Leer of Opposition. “At heart of problem here is a Prime Minister who simply doesn’t want to be unpopular and refore won’t take tough decisions that are necessary, until he is forced into m at 11th hour. We can’t go on like that,” he said. 

(Im Credits: AP)