Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday ordered a new nationwide exclusion for England in an attempt to create a new variant of the coronavirus. In a televised speech, Johnson called the next few weeks a ‘critical moment’ in the country’s fight against COVID-19. Scotland’s leader had declared similar measures the previous day.
The new measure forces the closure of all schools, shuts down personal grooming services such as barbers and hairdressers, and bans personal eating at restaurants. Although fines apply to those who leave their homes without valid excuses, there are exemptions that allow people to go out for food or medical supplies, to and from childcare or in real emergencies.
Residents are asked to limit outdoor exercise to once a day. Residents of England can only meet one other person from another household for outdoor exercise, and social distance must be maintained.
Johnson said he understands the “inconvenience and distress” that would result in the rapid closure of the school for families, many of whom sent children to school earlier Monday in a one-day school week and educators.
“We have done everything in our power to keep schools open because we know how important every day in education is for children’s life chances,” Johnson said. “The problem is not that schools are unsafe for children – children who are still very likely not to be seriously affected by the new variant of COVID. The problem is that schools can still serve as vectors for transmission, which causes the virus spread between households. “
The new variant of COVID-19 was first detected late last year in south-east England and sparked a dramatic increase in cases. More than 50,000 new cases of coronavirus are being reported daily, and hospitals in some regions are already overloaded with an influx of patients. Johnson said the new variant is between 50 and 70% more transferable, making it much easier to catch and pass on to others.
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Prior to the announcement, more than two-thirds of Britain was already under the strictest “Tier 4” restrictions. “Criticism, if everyone plays their part by following the rules, then I hope we can gradually move out of the exclusion,” Johnson said.
The rapidly spreading variant of COVID-19 has already appeared elsewhere in the world. Recently it was detected in New york, California and Colorado, in patients without any recent travel history. According to the top expert in infectious diseases in the USA, dr. Anthony Fauci, there are “probably more cases” of the new strain that have not yet been detected in the US.
More than 2.7 million people have contracted COVID-19 in the UK, with more than 75,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Tucker Reals and Charlie D’Agata contributed to this report.