UK: Thousands gather in London to protest against COVID-19 restrictions & vaccine passport

More than thousands of protestors gathered at United Kingdom's national capital, London to protest against the latest COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine passport imposed by the government, reported Mirror on Saturday. According to the media reports, the protestors demanded the government to immediately revoke the restrictions. The demonstrators also sought the removal of the government's decision of mandating the coronavirus vaccine at the National Health Service (NHS) and public organisations.
There are multiple reports of policemen getting injured during a clash with the protestors.

'Take a Stand London', 'Save our Rights' and 'The Great Reopening', read the placards of the demonstrators who took part in the Saturday protest.

Protests in UK over COVID restrictions

London Mayor declares 'major incident'

Notably, the protests were held on the day when the country reported the highest ever coronavirus cases, with at least 10,059 cases of the new COVID variant, Omicron. The country's total Omicron caseload went up to 24,000 and the total COVID cases to 1,47,048.

As per the NHS data, at least 7,611 COVID-19 patients are still in the hospital.  "10,059 additional confirmed cases of the #Omicron variant of COVID-19 have been reported across the UK. Confirmed Omicron cases in the UK now total 24,968," UK Health Security Agency informed on Twitter.

It is worth noting that the protest added a significant number of people after the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, on Saturday declared a "major incident" in the capital city. According to Khan, he has announced the "distress call" as the capital city is grappling under the highly-infectious COVID-19 variant. Notably, a 'major incident' in the United Kingdom means that the region has plunged into an emergency and needs special arrangements to deal with the situation. 

However, the protestors said that the government was making an unnecessary burden on the people and argued vaccination is anyone's personal choice. Further, the group added that the health workers are working tirelessly since the coronavirus pandemic erupted some 20 months ago and added a compulsory vaccination could lower their morale. "We are already feeling the impact across the capital and while we are still learning about this variant, it’s right that London’s key agencies work closely together to minimise the impact on our city, including helping to protect the vital vaccination programme," Mirror quoted the London mayor as saying. Further, he urged the protestors to return to their places as large gatherings could further escalate the deadly virus.

Image: Twitter/@ReformRambo