As the Covid-19 number rising out of control in England, Boris Johnson could decide to enact full lockdown until Easter. Morevover, the UK Prime Minister also admitted that the measure was probably about to get tougher despite three-quarters of England already being in Tier 4.
Boris Johnson: the possibility of a third lockdown
With a further 54,990 positive tests and 454 deaths recorded on Sunday, some primary schools set to ignore the January 4 re-opening. So, they will remain closed. However, the UK prime minister points out that the vast majority of schools are safe. This decision came after a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), Professor Sir Mark Walport, warned the new strain is “transmitting more readily in younger age groups”.
At the same time, the Government’s Covid-O committee probably will meet later today. The main purpose is to decide if a third national lockdown is needed or it would be better to expand Tier 4 to more areas. However, MPs would have to accept the third lockdown. Morevoer, some Conservatives have already advise they would be against the idea.
The question with laburists
About this, Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “Let’s not have the Prime Minister saying, ‘I’m going to do it, but not yet. That’s the problem he has made so many times. Nationwide lockdown: the Prime Minister has hinted that that’s going to happen, but he’s holding again and we can’t afford that again”. He also thought that the longer you hold the difficult decisions, the worse it is on the health front, the worse it is on the economic front.
At the same time, Professor Walport told that while the new Covid variant does not appear to “cause worse disease” or be resistant to the vaccine, he said “much tighter social-distancing measures” are needed to control the spread.
Finally, a No10 source revealed that the PM “has been consistently clear” that any decisions have been driven by a need to “protect the NHS and save lives”. Moreover, they accused Labour of “playing party politics” while the Government’s “targeted approach is the right one”.
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