Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Monday that Scotland would begin a month-long shutdown at midnight as a highly contagious COVID-19 variant continues to spread rapidly across the UK.
Why it matters: Sturgeon warned that increasing infections put significant pressure on the National Health Service, and that hospitals could reach capacity within three to four weeks. As a result, people should legally stay at home and work at home if possible.
What they say: “I’m more worried about the situation now than I have been since March,” Sturgeon said.
The whole picture: The new variant has been found to have a greater degree of transmissibility, but according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there is no evidence to suggest that the variant has an impact on the severity of the disease or efficacy of the vaccine. not.