Babak Belurs

Jumat, 18 September 2020

Covid-19: Second wave now hitting the UK, says Boris Johnson - BBC News

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The UK is "now seeing a second wave" of Covid-19, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said, adding, "it's been inevitable we'd see it in this country."

Mr Johnson said he did not "want to go into bigger lockdown measures" but that tighter social distancing restrictions might be necessary.

It is understood a new three-tiered set of restrictions is being considered.

The plan would aim to avoid a national lockdown but could stop household-to-household contact.

The first tier would be the level of measures currently in place in most parts of England now - with social distancing the key aspect.

The second tier would involve what is currently being imposed in the North East - curfews on hospitality venues and a ban on meetings between households.

The final third tier would involve stricter lockdown measures.

It is thought it is likely "tier two" may come in place across the UK - albeit framed on a region-by-region basis rather than as a "national curfew".

An account of a meeting at which the measures were discussed has been shared with the BBC. It explained the government's shielding policy was also "being actively reviewed" and a decision could come soon on further measures to protect the vulnerable.

Any further shielding decisions are expected to take a much more tailored approach than before.

With the virus expected to be more severe over the winter, officials are looking at bringing in measures that could last until the spring.

Earlier, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the government was considering a short period of tighter rules across England that could be announced in the next week., which could involve closing hospitality venues.

'Difficult to keep this up'

It comes as the UK has recorded another 4,322 confirmed Covid-19 cases.

"Clearly when you look at what is happening, you've got wonder whether we need to go further than the rule of six that we brought in," the PM said, referring to measures introduced on Monday.

He added that "the British people have done an amazing job - they've brought that peak down by discipline" but that "people find it difficult to keep this up, it's difficult to maintain that discipline for a long time".

Speaking in Oxfordshire, Mr Johnson continued: "As we look at this particular curve and what is happening now, clearly we are going to keep everything under review. I don't want to get into a second national lockdown at all, it is the last thing anybody wants.

"I don't want to go into bigger lockdown measures at all, we want to keep schools open and it is fantastic the schools have gone back in the way they have. We want to keep the economy open as far as we possibly can, we want to keep businesses going.

"The only way we can do that is, obviously, if people follow the guidance."

The government has also been considering what it called a "circuit-break" approach, which could involve re-introducing restrictions in public spaces for a period of a few weeks to suppress the spread of the virus. Schools and workplaces would stay open.

Ideas suggested by the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) included closing some parts of the hospitality sector.

Meanwhile, new measures to curb the spread of the virus have been introduced across parts of the North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire.

'UK's trajectory is not written in stone'

The question is no longer where we are, but where we are heading.

Yes, the number of people infected, in hospital with Covid or dying from the disease are all at far lower levels than at the peak.

Scientists will quibble about the exact definition of a "second wave", but all data points to rising numbers of infections.

The government's science advisers say the number is now doubling every week.

If those trends continue then infections could go from the estimated 6,000-a-day to more than 100,000 by mid-October.

It is that trajectory, which is not written in stone, the government is trying to change.

There are questions for politicians, from whether it should do a "circuit-break" to improving Test and Trace.

But, with evidence suggesting only one in five people are following the self-isolation rules when they get sick, there are also questions for all of us.

This includes Lancashire (excluding Blackpool), Merseyside and the Cheshire boroughs of Warrington and Halton.

New restrictions are also being put in place in Wolverhampton, Oadby and Wigston in Leicestershire, and all parts of Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale.

Some areas of West Yorkshire had already been subject to restrictions implemented at the start of August but they were eased. They are now subject to these new rules.

In total, nearly 4.7 million people will be affected by the new restrictions, which ban separate households from meeting each other at home or in private gardens.

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2020-09-18 18:17:37Z
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Coronavirus: PM does not want another lockdown but says second wave 'is coming' - Sky News

Boris Johnson has said he does not want to put the country in another national lockdown but warned the government may need to "intensify things to help bring the rate of infections down".

He added: "We're now seeing a second wave coming... clearly we are going to keep everything under review.

"As the disease progresses of course we're going to have to take further measures."

On Friday, new confirmed daily cases of coronavirus hit 4,322 - the highest since 8 May.

And with COVID-19 cases now doubling every seven to eight days, the government is looking at introducing nationwide restrictions for a short period to try to "short-circuit" the virus and slow the spread of the disease.

Parts of the North West, West Yorkshire and the Midlands have been placed under further localised coronavirus restrictions.

Government figures stressed the plans being drawn up stopped short of a full national lockdown, as seen in the spring, when the country was told to "stay at home".

Proposals being worked up for such a "circuit break" could see essential travel to schools and workplaces continuing, but restaurants and bars would shut - or perhaps run on restricted hours - and different households would be asked not to mix.

The restrictions could be put in place for two weeks, but the timing and duration of the measures has yet to be finalised.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called on the prime minister to hold a COBRA meeting.

"He now needs to take swift and decisive action at a national level to deal with this - he can't afford to be slow.

"If the prime minister was to take action, the Labour party will support it ad do what we can."

It comes amid fears that daily coronavirus case numbers could, in a few weeks, hit the figures seen in March and April if the government doesn't take decisive action now and "hammer down" on the disease.

Professor Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific adviser, warned the prime minister at a meeting on Wednesday evening that the disease was now doubling every seven to eight days.

It is understood they warned the UK is now about six weeks behind France and Spain and in danger of seeing a substantial increase in the number of cases by mid-October if the virus is left unchecked.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, on Friday told Sky News that a national lockdown was the "last line of defence".

Downing Street is reluctant to have to return such draconian measures, acutely aware of the damage it would do the economy and to public health in the longer term.

"The PM is in a very difficult situation because it all rests on him," one senior minister said this week.

"The instinct of the PM is that he has to keep this virus under control, because if there is a spike, it falls on his shoulders. I do feel for him."

The prime minister also met with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Business Secretary Alok Sharma on Thursday morning to discuss the economic situation, amid anxiety in government over the looming spike in unemployment when the furlough scheme winds up in October.

The Treasury, along with many of Mr Johnson's backbenchers and others in his Cabinet, is of the view that the country cannot go back to a full lockdown and must exhaust all other options in order to avoid such a situation.

Terri from Harlow — COVID-19 test centres: 'The system is shocking'

According to the Financial Times, experts on the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M) have suggested a new national lockdown.

This could coincide with the October school half-term in order to limit the impact on children's education, the newspaper added.

Asked about the Financial Times report, Mr Hancock told Sky News' Kay Burley: "The last line of defence is full national action and I don't want to see that but we will do whatever is necessary to keep people safe in a very difficult pandemic."

He added: "It isn't something that we ever take off the table but it isn't something that we want to see either, it is the last line of defence."

On Thursday, localised restrictions were introduced in northeast England, which means more than 10 million people across the UK are now in some form of local lockdown.

New restrictions covering the whole of Lancashire, with the exception of two thirds of the seaside resort of Blackpool, are expected to be announced on Friday.

Dido Harding — 'Access to testing must be prioritised'

Mr Hancock confirmed the government would be "making further announcements" on localised action later in the day.

"We do have to recognise that the number of cases is rising and we do have to act because we know, especially from looking at other countries, that inexorably leads to more hospitalisations and sadly more deaths," he said.

"And that is what we want to minimise and we want to protect people's livelihoods at the same time."

Pressed on how close the UK might be to a second national lockdown, the health secretary replied: "Sometimes we can't say exactly what the future holds because we're in a pandemic.

"But I can give this hope, which is that if everybody follows the rule of six, if everyone follows self-isolation if they have tested positive or if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, and if everybody in the local lockdown areas follows the rules near them, then we can control this virus together.

"But only by the country pulling together."

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Mr Hancock pointed to the example of Belgium as offering "hope" for the UK, adding: "They had a start of a second spike, quite similar to what we've seen over the last few weeks here, and then they took action and then it came down.

"It came down because the country, once again, came together to tackle the virus.

"In Belgium, for example, they introduced the rule of five, we've introduced a rule of six."

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2020-09-18 17:38:26Z
52781069417098

Covid-19: Second wave now hitting the UK, says Boris Johnson - BBC News

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The UK is "now seeing a second wave" of Covid-19, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said, adding, "it's been inevitable we'd see it in this country."

Mr Johnson said he did not "want to go into bigger lockdown measures" but that tighter social distancing restrictions might be necessary.

It is understood a new three-tiered set of restrictions is being considered.

The plan would aim to avoid a national lockdown but could stop household-to-household contact.

The first tier would be the level of measures currently in place in most parts of England now - with social distancing the key aspect.

The second tier would involve what is currently being imposed in the North East - curfews on hospitality venues and a ban on meetings between households.

The final third tier would involve stricter lockdown measures.

It is thought it is likely "tier two" may come in place across the UK - albeit framed on a region-by-region basis rather than as a "national curfew".

Any further shielding decisions are expected to take a much more tailored approach than before.

With the virus expected to be more severe over the winter, officials are looking at bringing in measures that could last until the spring.

'Difficult to keep this up'

It comes as the UK has recorded another 4,322 confirmed Covid-19 cases.

"Clearly when you look at what is happening, you've got wonder whether we need to go further than the rule of six that we brought in," the PM said, referring to measures introduced on Monday.

"The only way we can do that is, obviously, if people follow the guidance."

Earlier, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the government was considering a short period of tighter rules that could be announced in the next week.

Described by the government as a "circuit-break", those measures could involve re-introducing restrictions in public spaces for a period of a few weeks while keeping schools and workplaces open.

Ideas suggested by the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) included closing some parts of the hospitality sector.

Basic maths shows us how quickly coronavirus cases can, theoretically, soar.

Around 4,000 infections a day, doubling every eight days, would be 128,000 new daily cases by the end of October.

That is not guaranteed to happen, and a change in our behaviour, the "rule of six" or restrictions like those in north-east England could improve the situation.

The point of a national "circuit-break" would be to achieve a controlled drop in the levels of coronavirus without needing a full lockdown.

This does two things, obviously it helps avoid having very high levels of the virus that could overwhelm hospitals.

But it also gives us more options. Any contact-tracing programme or system of local lockdowns is far easier to implement when levels of the virus are low. The higher the number of cases, the fewer targeted measures the government has to use.

The problem is once the circuit-break is over, cases would begin to rise again and it may take multiple circuit breaks to get us through winter.

Meanwhile, new measures to curb the spread of the virus have been introduced across parts of the North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire.

This includes Lancashire (excluding Blackpool), Merseyside and the Cheshire boroughs of Warrington and Halton.

New restrictions are also being put in place in Wolverhampton, Oadby and Wigston in Leicestershire, and all parts of Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale.

Some areas of West Yorkshire had already been subject to restrictions implemented at the start of August but they were eased. They are now subject to these new rules.

In total, nearly 4.7 million people will be affected by the new restrictions, which ban separate households from meeting each other at home or in private gardens.

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Covid-19: Second wave now hitting the UK, says Boris Johnson - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

The UK is "now seeing a second wave" of Covid-19, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said, adding, "It's been inevitable we'd see it in this country."

Mr Johnson said he did not "want to go into bigger lockdown measures" but that tighter social distancing restrictions might be necessary.

It is understood a new three-tiered set of restrictions is being considered.

The plan would aim to avoid a national lockdown but could stop household-to-household contact.

The first tier would be the level of measures currently in place in most parts of England now - where social distancing is the main key aspect.

The second tier would involve what is currently being imposed in the North East - curfews on hospitality venues and a ban on meetings between households.

The final third tier would involve stricter lockdown measures.

It's thought it is likely "tier two" may come in place across the UK - albeit framed on a region-by-region basis rather than as a "national curfew."

Any further shielding decisions are expected to take a much more tailored approach than before.

With the virus expected to be more severe over the winter, officials are looking at bringing in measures that could last until the spring.

'Difficult to keep this up'

It comes as the UK has recorded another 4,322 confirmed Covid-19 cases.

"Clearly when you look at what is happening, you've got wonder whether we need to go further than the rule of six that we brought in," the PM said, referring to measures introduced on Monday.

"The only way we can do that is, obviously, if people follow the guidance."

Earlier, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the government was considering a short period of tighter rules that could be announced in the next week.

Described by the government as a "circuit-break", those measures could involve re-introducing restrictions in public spaces for a period of a few weeks while keeping schools and workplaces open.

Ideas suggested by the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) included closing some parts of the hospitality sector.

Meanwhile, new measures to curb the spread of the virus have been introduced across parts of the North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire.

This includes Lancashire (excluding Blackpool), Merseyside and the Cheshire boroughs of Warrington and Halton.

New restrictions are also being put in place in Wolverhampton, Oadby and Wigston in Leicestershire, and all parts of Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale.

Some areas of West Yorkshire had already been subject to restrictions implemented at the start of August but they were eased. They are now subject to these new rules.

In total, nearly 4.7 million people will be affected by the new restrictions, which ban separate households from meeting each other at home or in private gardens.

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2020-09-18 17:37:16Z
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Covid-19: Second wave now hitting the UK, says Boris Johnson - BBC News

The UK is "now seeing a second wave" of Covid-19, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said, adding, "It's been inevitable we'd see it in this country."

Mr Johnson said he did not "want to go into bigger lockdown measures" but that tighter social distancing restrictions might be necessary.

Earlier, new rules were confirmed for Lancashire, Merseyside, parts of the Midlands and West Yorkshire.

It also comes as the UK recorded another 4,322 confirmed Covid-19 cases.

"Clearly when you look at what is happening, you've got wonder whether we need to go further than the rule of six that we brought in," the PM said, referring to new measures introduced on Monday.

"The only way we can do that is, obviously, if people follow the guidance."

Earlier, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the government was considering a short period of tighter rules that could be announced in the next week.

Described by the government as a "circuit-break", the measures being considered could involve re-introducing restrictions in public spaces for a period of a few weeks. Schools and workplaces would stay open.

Ideas suggested by the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) include close some parts of the hospitality sector.

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Coronavirus: PM does not want another lockdown but says second wave 'is coming' - Sky News

Boris Johnson has said he does not want to put the country in another national lockdown but warned the government may need to "intensify things to help bring the rate of infections down".

He added: "We're now seeing a second wave coming... clearly we are going to keep everything under review.

"As the disease progresses of course we're going to have to take further measures."

With COVID-19 cases now doubling every seven to eight days, the government is looking at introducing nationwide restrictions for a short period to try to "short-circuit" the virus and slow the spread of the disease.

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