UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Sunday mentioned that the government has imposed a strict lockdown in London and southeast England for the reason that a new strain of the coronavirus was “out of control”.
Besides, the Union Health Ministry has named an urgent meeting of its Joint Monitoring Group on Monday to go over the emergence of a mutated variant of the coronavirus in the UK, which has led to a surge in the infection price.
Meanwhile, a quantity of European nations have banned flights from the UK as the British government warned that the potent new strain of the virus was “out of control”.
“It seems that the spread is now being driven by the new variant of the virus,” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson mentioned.
“We have alerted the World Health Organisation and are continuing to analyse the available data to improve our understanding,” mentioned Professor Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer for England.
“There is no current evidence to suggest the new strain causes a higher mortality rate or that it affects vaccines and treatments although urgent work is underway to confirm this,” he added.
Christmas Lockdown:
Boris Johnson announced the new guidelines at a briefing from 10 Downing Street on Saturday evening. As per the new guidelines, a planned 5-day “Christmas bubble” of relaxed guidelines has been cancelled in favour of a new Tier 4 level to the present 3-tier lockdown method to attempt and handle the surge in infections getting triggered by the new mutation of COVID-19.
Under the new Tier 4 guidelines, people today would be banned from mixing with any individual outdoors of their household, like on Christmas Day, and for the other tiers, Christmas guidelines permitting up to 3 households will now be restricted to Christmas Day of December 25 only, rather than 5 days. The modifications will final for two weeks with the initially critique now due on December 30.
The new restrictions – related to the second national lockdown which ended in November – applies to all locations in the South East which had been in tier 3, covering Kent, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey (excluding Waverley), Gosport, Havant, Portsmouth, Rother and Hastings.
It also applies in London and the East of England – Bedford, Central Bedford, Milton Keynes, Luton, Peterborough, Hertfordshire and Essex. In Wales, the restrictions had been brought forward pre-Christmas to also start suitable away.
“We are sacrificing the chance to see our loved ones this Christmas so we have a better chance of protecting their lives so that we can see them at future Christmases,” he mentioned, adding that he “bitterly regretted” have to make these modifications.
What will stay closed beneath Tier 4 restrictions?
1. Non-important retail, such as clothes and homeware retailers, automobile showrooms (other than for rental), betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile telephone shops, and industry stalls promoting non-important goods – these venues can continue to be in a position to operate click-and-gather (exactly where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services.
2. Hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs with the exception of delivering meals and drink for takeaway (till 11pm), click-and-gather, drive-via or delivery.
3. Accommodation such as hotels, hostels, guest homes and campsites, except for particular situations, such as exactly where these act as someone’s major residence, exactly where the individual can’t return residence, for homeless people today, or exactly where it is important to keep there for work purposes.
4. Leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and indoor gyms, indoor swimming pools, indoor tennis and basketball courts, indoor fitness and dance studios, indoor climbing walls.
5. Entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, indoor play and soft play centres and locations (like inflatable parks and trampolining centres), circuses, fairgrounds, funfairs, zoos and other animal attractions, water parks and theme parks.
6. Indoor attractions at botanical gardens, heritage properties and landmarks ought to also close, although outside grounds of these premises can keep open.
7. Personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services ought to also close. It is also prohibited to provide these services in other people’s properties.
8. Community centres and halls ought to close except for a restricted quantity of exempt activities, as set out under. Libraries can also stay open to provide access to IT and digital services – for instance for people today who do not have it at residence – and for click-and-gather services.
What can stay open beneath Tier 4 restrictions?
1. Essential retail such as meals shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres and Christmas tree retailers, developing merchants and suppliers of developing merchandise and off-licences.
2. Market stalls promoting important retail may perhaps also keep open.
3. Businesses delivering repair services may perhaps also keep open, exactly where they mainly present repair services.
4. Petrol stations, automatic (but not manual) car or truck washes, automobile repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, and taxi and automobile employ firms
5. Banks, developing societies, post offices, brief-term loan providers and revenue transfer firms.
6. Funeral directors.
7. Laundrettes and dry cleaners.
8. Medical and dental services.
9. Vets and pet shops
10. Animal rescue centres, boarding facilities, and animal groomers (may perhaps continue to be employed for animal welfare, rather than aesthetic purposes).
11. Agricultural supplies shops.
12. Mobility and disability help shops.
13. Storage and distribution facilities.
14. Car parks, public toilets and motorway service locations.
15. Outdoor playgrounds.
16. Outdoor fitness center, pools, sports courts and facilities
17. Golf courses.
18. Archery/driving/shooting ranges (outdoors).
19. Outdoor riding centres.
Here are the ‘Tier 4: Stay at Home’ recommendations: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-4-stay-at-home
(With input from agencies)