British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday effectively extended a national coronavirus exclusion after ruling out returning to school for most students until at least March 8.
The closure initially took effect on January 5 and would last at least mid-February in an effort to combat a variant of the coronavirus that is spreading rapidly in the region.
GAP OF 12 WEEKS BETWEEN COVID-19 DOSAGE VACCINE NEEDS TO BE ‘URGENTLY REVISED’, UK UK doctors
But Johnson told lawmakers on Wednesday that the UK remains in a “dangerous situation” with more than 37,000 patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, which was almost double the number during the previous country’s peak in April.
Johnson said the deadline for students depends on the progress of vaccinating those in the four most vulnerable groups with their first dose by February 15, and that he will provide a ‘roadmap’ for the ‘gradual and phased’ relief of coronavirus restriction. release. week of 22 February.
Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to the House of Commons for the Weekly Prime Ministers’ Questions in London, Wednesday 27 January 2021. (AP Photo / Alastair Grant)
England’s schools are currently closed to all students except those considered vulnerable, and children of key workers, such as doctors and obstetricians. Schools have also been closed in other UK countries – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Along with the delayed return to classrooms, Johnson has confirmed new restrictions for travelers arriving in England from countries considered high risk. The restrictions include a ten-day quarantine in hotels or other accommodation by the government.
Britain is the fifth country in the world to record 100,000 virus-related deaths, after the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico, and by far the smallest. The U.S. has recorded more than 400,000 COVID-19 deaths, the highest total in the world, but the population of about 330 million is about five times that of Britain.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.