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UK Health Minister called on citizens to act as if they were infected with the outbreak
Britain’s Health Minister has warned that the tight lockdown, which includes the capital, London, due to the new strain of the Corona virus, could last for several months.
Matt Hancock added that the government does not want to cancel the Christmas celebration, but that it is “our duty” to take action to deal with the new strain of the “out of control” virus.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday announced the creation of a fourth category of restrictions that are more severe in some areas, moving away from plans to ease restrictions over the Christmas period, affecting the holiday plans of millions of people .
This category obliges citizens who are subject to it to stay at home, prohibits mixing with those who do not live together in closed places and imposes the closure of shops and businesses that do not provide non-essential products or goods. The government requires residents of areas subject to this category not to travel to areas subject to a more moderate category of restrictions.
The relaxation of restrictions on partner contact during the Christmas holidays is limited to Eid day only, instead of the five days as previously planned.
The Prime Minister’s announcement of the tightening of restrictions came days after he advocated loosening them despite calls from medical professionals to reverse the plans.
Hancock said: “We call on everyone to act as if they are infected with the virus” in order to control the new strain of the virus.
He added: “Of course we don’t want to cancel the Christmas celebrations, and we don’t want to take any of these measures, but it is our duty to take them as long as there is clear evidence of their necessity. “
The health minister said the government does not yet know how long the Tier 4 restrictions will be imposed, but he said they could continue “for a while, until we expand the use. vaccine ”.
Opposition leader criticized government’s approach to new dynasty
For his part, opposition Labor Party leader Keir Starmer said his party supported the new restrictions, but accused the PM of “gross negligence” for his delay in responding to developments in the field of labor. ‘epidemic.
Starmer said in an online press conference that it was “clearly beyond a reasonable doubt last week that Johnson’s plans for Christmas (holiday) are extremely risky.”
He added: “This is all due to the fact that the new strain of the virus which has emerged in recent times has not been thoroughly examined.”
He continued: “The alarm bells have sounded for several weeks”, with the increase in the number of cases and the reaching of the maximum capacity of the health authority in certain areas “, but the Prime Minister chose to ‘ignore all of this. “
Susan Hopkins, of Public Health England, told the BBC that the agency notified the government on Friday that the new strain of the virus was spreading faster than others.
She noted that the new strain was first discovered in mid-October in a sample taken in September.
She added that the evidence showed that people infected with the new strain had “larger viral masses,” meaning their rate of transmission of the infection is higher.
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