New Delhi (NVI): British Prime Minister Boris Johnson today announced a “stay at home” order for London and southeast England to slow a new coronavirus strain that is significantly more infectious.
The new strain of the virus “does appear to be passed on significantly more easily,” Johnson said at a televised briefing.
He ordered new restrictions for London and south-eastern England, to come into effect from Sunday, saying, “Under the new tier four rules, residents in those areas must stay at home at least until December 30.”
Under the stricter restrictions, all non-essential shops, hairdressers and indoor leisure venues will be closes after the end of business hours on Saturday.
With just five days to go until Christmas, Johnson also announced that a planned easing of socializing rules that would have allowed up to three households to meet in “Christmas bubbles” from December 23 to 27 , will be canceled for Tier 4 areas and sharply curtailed in the rest of England.
In the rest of England, people will be allowed to meet in Christmas bubbles for just one day instead of five, as the government originally planned.
A fast-moving new variant of the coronavirus that is more than 70 per cent more transmissible than existing strains appears to be driving the rapid spread in London and southern England, Johnson said. London now has the highest infection rates in England.
On Saturday there were 27,052 new cases in the UK, slightly low from Friday, when 28,507 cases were reported.
The U.K. has Europe’s second-highest COVID-19 death toll behind Italy, standing at 66,541 as of Saturday.
-CHK
