British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the country Saturday of a momentary wave of coronavirus, hinting that closure across the country would be imminent.
“There’s no doubt, as I’ve said for several weeks, that we can be waiting and now we see a wave of moments coming,” Johnson said as he filmed about a new vaccine center in Didcot, near Oxford.
“We see it in France, in Spain, throughout Europe; I’m afraid it’s absolutely inevitable that we’ll stop by in this country. “
His grim announcement came when government clinical advisers said the number R, which represents the number of other people a swollen user would transmit the virus to, had increased from 1. 1 to 1. 4, from 1. 0 to 1. 2 last week.
“This is troubling,” said Kevin McConway, professor emeritus of statistics implemented at Open University.
“Even at expansion rates within the estimated range, the number of new instances may be temporarily successful at peak levels if interventions are not effective enough. “
Stricter regulations that prevent others from socializing with others outdoors, their families will take effect Tuesday in parts of north-west, northern and central England.
Restaurants and bars can be served at tables, while pubs and bars will close early at 22:00 (21:00 GMT).
Similar regulations were imposed friday in the north-east of England, with more than two million people subject to some of the strictest restrictions since the rest of the national closure.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the resolution followed a local government request due to an increase in the number of positive cases.
He also warned that the government could simply re-impose the national blockade that was partially lifted in June, as hospitalization rates now doubled every 8 days.
Johnson said he was looking for a momentary national blockade, which he said would be “financially deastrous,” and called it “the last thing anyone wants. “
He encouraged compliance with social distance rules that restrict contacts to teams of six or less.
The increase in the number of cases is putting new pressure on the government, which has been criticized for its reaction to the epidemic that has claimed nearly 42,000 lives, the death toll in Europe.
The number of new cases reached degrees that had not been noticed since April, reflecting an image across Europe, where the World Health Organization said there were “alarming rates of transmission. “
The UK National Statistics Office (ONS) showed in its weekly infection survey on Friday that “the rate of occurrence in England has been higher in recent weeks. “
It estimated that there were about 6,000 new cases daily across the country in the week leading up to September 10, approximately double the number recorded in the statistics published daily through the Ministry of Health.
Public Health England medical director Yvonne Doyle said there were “clear signs” that the virus was spreading on all age teams and an increase in hospital admissions for the elderly.
“This may just be a warning of much worse things to come,” he added.
The ONS noted that there is evidence of higher infection rates in north-west England and London, prompting the capital’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, to say he is “extremely concerned” and call for swift action.
“We deserve not to wait, as happened six months ago, for this virus to return uncontrollably before taking action,” he said.
But Johnson’s spokesman “no restrictions are planned lately” in the capital.
He also rejected reports that government scientists had proposed a general closure that would come into force in England for two weeks in October, coinciding with the holiday in England.
The government has been constantly criticized for its failure to enforce the “first-tier” screening and detection formula that it promised to apply during the summer months.
Hancock defended the control program and said the government “does its best for the cavalry looming on the horizon of vaccine and mass control. “