The British prime minister praised the millions of people who ‘make another big sacrifice’ because the country is hours away from closing for a long time to curb the growing spread of the coronavirus.
Boris Johnson’s comments come on Tuesday because health officials there reported 60,916 new infections on Monday – according to Sky News, the highest daily total ever recorded in the UK since the onset of the disease.
‘Throughout this whole country, there are people – everyone – making another great sacrifice. “Millions of people working from home, teachers and students dealing with online learning,” Johnson told a news conference. “Businesses that have carried the heaviest consecutive closures. And of course the incredible staff of our National Health Service and our care workers who are struggling with this new variant of the coronavirus.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke at a news conference on 10 Downing Street in London on Tuesday. (AP)
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“And I believe that when everyone looks at the position, people overwhelmingly understand that we have no choice,” Johnson added, referring to the closing measures that take effect at midnight on Tuesday.
Johnson, referring to government statistics, said the number of patients hospitalized with the coronavirus was now 40% higher in England than the initial peak in April.
It is estimated that one in 50 is now positive compared to one in 900 in mid-September, statistics also show.
In an effort to curb the spread, more than 1.3 million people have already been vaccinated in the UK, Johnson said.
“We know that there are still many weeks to go before we can keep up with these restrictions, but I want to give you, the British people, the maximum possible transparency about this vaccination, with more details on Thursday and daily updates from Monday. day can see and jab for jab how much progress we are making, ‘he added.
UK CORONAVIRUS VARIETY THE MOST MULTIPLE TO SPREAD UNDER THIS AGE GROUP, STUDY SUGGESTIONS
Johnson announced the new shutdown on Monday after chief medical officers from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales raised the threat of the COVID-19 threat to the highest level. The health system is already under ‘tremendous pressure’, they said.
The new measures are similar to those introduced last spring, and people are told to work from home unless it is impossible to do so, and to leave home only for exercise or essential trips such as groceries. Schools across England have been ordered to close their doors, except for the children of critical workers and the most vulnerable children, and start Tuesday after online tuition. University students will not return to campus until at least mid-February.
All non-essential stores and personal care services, such as hairdressers, will remain closed. Restaurants may only offer pick-up services.
Meanwhile, grants of up to $ 12,200 are being offered to further help businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through the new rules.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, flanked by Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, left and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, spoke at a news conference on Tuesday about the coronavirus pandemic. (AP)
ENGLAND’S THIRD NATIONAL CLOSURE EXPECTED IN THE LAST 6 WEEKS
Public health officials hope the new exclusion will reduce pressure on the NHS, while launching a national vaccination program on the elderly, health workers and those particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. The UK has so far approved vaccines from two different manufacturers – one from Pfizer-BioNTech and the other from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca.
But many UK hospitals have already been forced to cancel elective surgeries, and the strain to respond to the pandemic could soon delay cancer surgery and limit intensive care services for patients without COVID-19.
Scotland’s leader Nicola Sturgeon also imposed a closure that began on Tuesday. Northern Ireland and Wales have already introduced tough measures, although rules differ.
On the European continent, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that she had agreed with state governors to extend the current exclusion of her country by three weeks until January 31.
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On November 2, Germany launched a nationwide partial strike that closed restaurants, bars, leisure and sports facilities. It could not reduce infection rates, and the current closure – which closed non-essential stores and schools, further restricting social contact – went into effect on 16 December. It would initially have lasted until January 10th.
Vaccinations in Germany and the rest of the European Union with 27 countries began a week ago. In Germany, a nation of 83 million, nearly 265,000 vaccinations were reported by Monday, the Robert Koch Institute said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.