“Unfortunately, the new strain was out of control.
We had to regain control, and the only way to do that is to restrict social contact ”.
This is how Matt Hancock, the British Minister of Health, justified on Sky News this Sunday the re-containment of London and part of England.
A measure which could, according to him, last until the massive deployment of a vaccine.
Boris Johnson's government on Saturday evening announced the reconfinement of London, south-east England and part of the east, forcing more than 16 million residents to stay at home and forgo the reunion of Christmas.
VIDEO. Covid-19 in the United Kingdom: London and the south-east reconfigured from Sunday
Non-essential businesses have closed and all travel outside of these high alert areas, whether to go elsewhere in the UK or abroad, is prohibited.
Pubs, restaurants and museums were already closed there since Wednesday.
“It's a huge challenge until we have rolled out the vaccine to protect people.
This is what we will be faced with over the next two months, ”Matt Hancock warned.
Several European countries barricaded themselves
The UK has informed the World Health Organization (WHO) of the faster spread of the new strain, "up to 70%", according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Previous mutations of SARS-CoV-2 have also been observed and reported worldwide.
READ ALSO>
Variant of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom: what we know about the mutant virus
The government's scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, had indicated on Saturday that this new variant, in addition to spreading rapidly, was also becoming the “dominant” form, having led to “a very sharp increase” in hospitalizations in December.
She would have appeared mid-September in London or Kent (South East), according to him.
Morning essentials newsletter
A tour of the news to start the day
Subscribe to the newsletterAll newsletters
In reaction, this Sunday, the Netherlands and Belgium suspended flights from the United Kingdom.
Germany is also considering it "seriously", as is France, according to our information.
