Yesterday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced to put the capital under similar restrictions that were imposed under the national lockdown in November. The relaxations allowed for Christmas have also been canceled.
In a statement, Johnson said, “There is still much we don’t know. While we are fairly certain the variant is transmitted more quickly, there is no evidence to suggest that it is more lethal or causes more severe illness. Equally, there is no evidence to suggest the vaccine will be any less effective against the new variant.”
He added, “First, we will introduce new restrictions in the most affected areas – specifically those parts of London, the South East and the East of England which are currently in tier 3. These areas will enter a new tier 4, which will be broadly equivalent to the national restrictions which were in place in England in November.”
Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England said, “As a result of the rapid spread of the new variant, preliminary modeling data and rapidly rising incidence rates in the southeast, the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group now considers that the new strain can spread more quickly.” Johnson further said, “As prime minister, it is my duty to take the difficult decisions, to do what is right to protect the people of this country. Given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus, and the potential risk it poses, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned.”
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