With over 100,000 coronavirus deaths, Britain bans entry from Argentina and 31 other countries

Britain has reached 100,000 dead and is the country with the most coronavirus victims in Europe. Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized to the nation on Tuesday night and was harshly contested in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

At the same time, banned citizens of 32 countries from entering Britain “Reds”, including Argentina, and others from Latin America like Panama, Paraguay, Venezuela, Uruguay, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyanas and Peru, among others.

The list also includes Cape Verde, Portugal, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, among others, where there is the British or South African variant of Covid.

Brits or residents arriving from these countries must comply with quarantine in hotels designated by the government. Each 10 day stay will cost £ 1,600 at the passenger’s expense. AND the British will not be able to travel abroad either if they do not have strict grounds.

“We did everything we could. I take responsibility for the decisions I made, ”Boris Johnson told Downing St. A phrase he repeated in the face of criticism from Members of Parliament.

30,000 additional deaths expected

Britain is the fifth country with the highest death toll in the world, after the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico. But the chief government doctor, Sir Christ Whitty, announced that at least 30,000 additional deaths are expected, because of the new variant that is rampant in the kingdom.

England’s medical director said the pressure on the NHS and deaths stopped increasing when he declared the second wave to peak. He also concluded that the lockdown was working to reduce cases, despite fears it was not enough to deal with the new variant of the coronavirus.

Professor Whitty said cases, deaths and the number of hospitalizations remain very high and need to be drastically reduced as he urges people not to let their guard down.

Johnson tried to argue that Britain was in a “radically different position” from 12 months ago and had made “colossal” improvements in its ability to fight a pandemic.

He stressed that it was necessary to “be careful not to relax too early”. He assured that a new variant, which appeared at the end of last year, “has changed the situation in which we find ourselves in a very substantial way”.

Quarantine and travel prohibited

The Prime Minister announced that schools will open on March 8 and a list of passengers from 32 countries, including those from South America, will not be able to enter Britain, where a mandatory quarantine has been put in place at the hotels they arrive for.

Britons and residents returning from these countries will have to undergo a mandatory government-controlled quarantine. UK travel abroad will also not be permitted. In ports and airports, they will be asked about their destination and the reasons. If they have no valid reason to travel, they must return home.

Johnson told MPs the government has already banned travel from countries “where there is a risk of known variants, such as South Africa, Portugal and countries in South America.”

‘In order to reduce the risk posed by UK citizens and returning residents from these countries, I can announce that we will demand that all people arriving in your country, who cannot be refused entry, are isolated in accommodation provided by the government, such as hotels, for 10 days without exception, ”he added.

In the parliamentary interpellation, Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labor opposition, called for the vaccination of teachers, police and essential workers.

A possibility Boris rejected because he has to stop a new rebellion of the conservatives and Brexiters of his party against confinement, more restrictions and force it to free up the economy.

Vaccinations and open schools

The decision to open schools on March 8 is not arbitrary. It is linked to the collective immunity from which they will benefit when they have at least 15 million people vaccinated at the end of February. An approach that everyone welcomed to pave the way for the reopening of the economy at the same time as the opening of schools.

Regarding schools, the Prime Minister declared that “they are not dangerous, the schools are safe”. But the problem is that they “bring communities together” and “a large number of children is a considerable vector of transmission”. There is no “additional risk for those involved in education,” he insisted.

At Sir Keir’s suggestion to prioritize school staff for the vaccine, Johnson said it should be up to experts, not politicians. “Who is vaccinated, in what order, and this policy would delay our exit from the blockade,” he explained.

It was the Liberal Democrats who announced the future: an independent inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic.

Paris, correspondent