Trump attacks UK PM's 'Tier-4' guidelines, says 'Cure cannot be worse than problem itself'

US President Donald Trump on Saturday slammed UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for imposing new curbs in certain areas to contain the spread of a new strain of COVID-19. Trump reacting to Johnson's announcment on 'Tier 4' restrictions stated that "the cure cannot be worse than the problem itself", referring to the lockdown in some parts of England. "We don’t want to have lockdowns," Trump said as he condemned his Conservative friend from the UK.  

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UK imposes strict restrictions

Johnson on Saturday announced Tier 4 curbs in certain areas including London, and the East of England after scientists in the country detected a new variant of COVID-19 virus that could spread faster than the previous version. Under the new restrictions, non-essential services and retail outlets have been ordered to shut down, curb on social gathering have been imposed, and people have been advised to stay at home at all time unless absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, residents are only allowed to go outside for work, childcare purposes, and exercise. 

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The new curbs will be reviewed by the government on December 30 and a further decision will be taken based on scientific evidence. The New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) says that the new strain can spread significantly more quickly and could increase R by 0.4 or more based on preliminary modelling data. London has already informed the World Health Organisation (WHO) about the new variant, said Johnson's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty.

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This comes when the United Kingdom is already running a COVID-19 vaccination campaign across the country. According to the government, there is no evidence to suggest that the new strain can affect vaccines and treatments, however, scientists are looking into it. The UK had begun the vaccination programme earlier this month after regulators in the country approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 2. 

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