Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tonight announced a new national lockdown in an urgent bid to stall sharply rising Covid-19 cases.
The PM announced that schools and colleges would move to remote learning from tomorrow (Tuesday 5 January) with closures lasting until February Half Term. Early years settings such as nurseries will stay open.
Covid admissions to hospitals in England have risen by a third in the past week said Mr Johnson, rising to 27,000, as he instructed people to stay at home unless leaving for essential purposes such as work that cannot be done from home, exercise, shopping for essentials, escaping domestic abuse, or medical reasons.
Covid admissions to hospital are already 40% higher than in the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in April.
The Prime Minister did reveal some cause for hope saying that the UK has given Covid vaccines to more people than the rest of Europe combined and heralded the first doses of the new Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine being administered to people in the UK today.
He hoped that the vaccines would be able to be given to people in the four most vulnerable groups in the UK by the middle of February.
He urged people to begin following the new rules now before they officially come into force on Wednesday.
Mr Johnson said: “We need to do more together to bring this variant under control while we roll out the new vaccines.
“We have the end in sight but we know how exactly we are going to get there.
“Please stay at home, protect the NHS, and save lives.”
People who are clinically, medically vulnerable are being advised to begin shielding again with letter due to be sent out to people within that group.
Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “We are now at a critical moment.
“We are yet to see the full effects of the relaxation of restrictions over Christmas and, over the past few weeks, we’ve seen just how quickly the new variant of the virus can spread and multiply.
“Considering all of this, an effective national lockdown is now the right thing to do.”
Following advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and in the light of the most recent data, the 4 UK Chief Medical Officers and NHS England Medical Director have recommended that the UK alert level should move from level 4 to level 5.
Many parts of the health systems in the 4 nations are already under immense pressure. There are currently very high rates of community transmission, with substantial numbers of COVID patients in hospitals and in intensive care.
New figures show that Sefton is one of the UK’s fastest growing areas for the rate of Covid-19 infections.
The borough, which includes Southport, Formby and Bootle, has seen Coronavirus cases rise by 111% over the past two weeks.
Sefton is the seventh fastest growing area for Covid cases in the country, reaching a rate of 333.9 cases per 100,000 people over the last two weeks of the most recent figures.
A statement by the Chief Medical Officers for the UK said: “Cases are rising almost everywhere, in much of the country driven by the new more transmissible variant. We are not confident that the NHS can handle a further sustained rise in cases and without further action there is a material risk of the NHS in several areas being overwhelmed over the next 21 days.
“Although the NHS is under immense pressure, significant changes have been made so people can still receive lifesaving treatment. It is absolutely critical that people still come forward for emergency care. If you require non-urgent medical attention, please contact your GP or call NHS 111.”
New rules in England
- People cannot leave their homes except for certain reasons, like the first lockdown last March
- These include essential medical needs, food shopping, exercise and work for those who cannot do so from home
- All schools and colleges will close to most pupils from Tuesday with remote learning until February half term
- Early years settings such as nurseries will stay open
- End-of-year exams will not take place this summer as normal
- Elsewhere, university students should not return to campuses and will be taught online
- Restaurants can continue to offer delivery for food, but takeaway alcohol will be banned
- Outdoor sports venues – such as golf courses, tennis courts and outside gyms – must close
- Amateur team sports are not allowed, but elite sport such as Premier League football and Southport FC and National League North matches can continue
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