UK: Dan Jarvis opposes Johnson's new COVID-19 restriction, calls it 'disproportionate'

Millions of people across the UK would be subjected to tougher coronavirus restrictions that could last at least four-month, Prime Minster Boris Johnson warned. But the return of highest level restrictions did not seem acceptable to northern leaders who touted the possibility of resistance against new rules. With UK nearing 16 million COVID-19 cases, Johnson is set to unveil new restriction on November 24 (local time), The Guardian reported.

The new rules, which aim to curb the spread of coronavirus around Christmas, are expected to let only a limited number of households mix indoors for up to five days over the festival. In addendum, he cautioned that people would need to make a “careful judgment about the risk of visiting elderly relatives”. The Guardian also confirmed that the country test and trace system would also get a funding boost of seven billion pounds, taking it’s cost to 22 billion pounds this year, as a part of its expanded programme of mass testing.

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Tier system in UK

Johnson, on November 23, announced that England’s lockdown would be replaced with regional measures that will involve three-tier restrictions. These restrictions would be based on the scale of the outbreak in different areas. Accordingly, millions would be subjected to tier- 3 implying the closure of pubs and restaurants restricted to takeaways. Thousands of others would be subjected to tier three which would allow businesses to serve alcohol with a “substantial meal”.

Johnson warned that “more regions will fall – at least temporarily – into higher levels than before” before the final list is announced on November 26. However, according to The Guardian mayors from the northwestern part of the country are expected to argue, that cases in the north are plummeting as compared to the south-east.

'We are already sacrificing a great deal' 

The government also announced that unlike previous restrictions, there would be no negotiations with the regional leaders to prevent bitter disputes. However, Dan Jarvis, the mayor of the Sheffield city region, opposed the decision asserting that system could not “continue to disproportionately affect the poorest regions without negotiation with local leaders”.

Arguing that the pandemic has hit the most disadvantaged parts the hardest, he said those parts would now be asked to remain under serious restrictions while rest of the country faces lesser burden. He then said that the northern part was ready to do their bit but it shouldn’t be “taken for granted”.

He also opposed the decision of not discussing the new rules with regional leaders saying, "you can’t refuse to negotiate with local governments but then say lockdowns are a matter of judgment". Calling for fairness, he said that the government needs to negotiate and support the disadvantaged parts of the nation.

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