Corona escalation: Great Britain with new infections in record highs - still no stricter rules

Created: 12/28/2021, 4:08 PM

From: Bedrettin Bölükbasi

Despite the critical corona situation, the British government does not want to tighten the pandemic rules any further.

© Dominic Lipinski / PA Wire / dpa

The omicron variant of the corona virus is causing a critical situation in Great Britain.

The government does not want to tighten it further, but at the same time warns of the mutation.

London / Munich - The omicron mutation of the potentially deadly coronavirus has long since conquered Great Britain.

In the country that Germany has classified as a virus variant area, the incidence and new infections are skyrocketing.

Both values ​​set new records in the midst of the Omikron wave.

113,628 new cases were recorded on Christmas Day.

Could the fight against the pandemic be tightened now?

The UK government is ruling out this option.

There will apparently not be any further tightening of the measures in the near future, as Health Minister Sajid Javid confirmed again.

However, he called on citizens to be on their guard and observe existing rules.

Corona in Great Britain: Government excludes new measures - "get vaccinated"

Javid appealed to the population to remain vigilant, celebrate New Year's Eve outdoors if possible, and take a quick test before attending events. He and other ministers had been brought up to date that additional measures had been ruled out, Javid said. "We monitor the data on a daily basis - and there has been no change over Christmas," the minister told British media.

"In the new year we will of course see whether we have to take further measures, but at least until that time it will stay that way," said the minister on speculation about new regulations.

He also urged citizens to get vaccinated urgently.

"Please protect yourself, your loved ones and your community," said Javid.

According to him, a significant proportion of the unvaccinated end up in the hospital.

Corona in Great Britain: no new rules - Omikron's mild course of disease as a reason

The Minister of Health explained why the British government does not want to take any further measures with studies on the course of the Omikron infection. Mild illness and low hospitalization rates were the main reasons for Prime Minister Johnson's decision, Javid said.

There is no uniform regulation on the corona pandemic in the United Kingdom.

The decision on measures lies with the regional governments.

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, for example, significantly stricter rules sometimes apply.

Prime Minister Johnson's own party is opposed to further tightening and threatens to face headwinds, but Health Minister Javid has announced that it will not hesitate to act should it be necessary in the future.

"We're looking at the situation very carefully," said Javid.