UK unveils new COVID-19 strategy
Print Edition
The British government carved England into three tiers of coronavirus risk on Monday in a bid to slow a resurgent outbreak, putting the northwestern city of Liverpool into the highest-risk category and shutting its pubs, gyms and betting shops.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the three-level national system was designed to 鈥渟implify and standardize鈥 a confusing patchwork of local rules, as the country enters a 鈥渃rucial phase.鈥
Johnson said hospitals are filling up with more COVID-19 patients than in March, when he ordered a national lockdown.
鈥淭hese figures are flashing at us like dashboard warnings in a passenger jet, and we must act now.鈥
He told lawmakers that the goal of the new system was to save lives without 鈥渟huttering our lives and our society.鈥
While the measures curb social interactions and the leisure industry, Johnson said shops, schools and universities will remain open in all areas.
Some scientists questioned whether the restrictions went far enough.
Minutes from meetings of the government鈥檚 Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies showed it recommended three weeks ago the government consider stricter measures, but the government rejected that idea.
鈥淚 and other people who were advocating for quite stringent severe local interventions where necessary three to four weeks ago, our fear is that we鈥檙e in another place now,鈥 said Calum Semple, professor of outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool and a member of the advisory committee.
After falling during the summer, COVID-19 cases are rising in the UK as winter approaches, with northwest and northeast England seeing the steepest increases.
Liverpool, in the northwest, has one of the country鈥檚 most severe outbreaks, with about 600 cases per 100,000 people, even more than hard-hit Madrid and Brussels.
Under the new measures, areas in England are classified at medium, high or very high risk, and placed under restrictions of varying severity.
Areas in the lowest tier will follow existing restrictions, including a 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants and a ban on more than six people gathering. In areas at high risk, members of different households are barred from meeting indoors.
The 鈥渧ery high鈥 risk tier will face restrictions including closing pubs 鈥 apart from those that serve meals 鈥 and, if local authorities want, other venues such as gyms and casinos.
The UK has experienced Europe鈥檚 deadliest outbreak, with an official death toll of 42,875. Health officials say Britain is at a tipping point.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
