Ebun Olowu
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, has announced a new national lockdown for England – with people instructed to “stay at home” as they did in March 2020 during the first shutdown.
The measures, which will affect nearly 56 million people in England, include the closure of primary and secondary schools, will come into effect on Wednesday.
The prime minister revealed this in an eight-minute TV address on Monday January 4, 2021, as COVID-19 cases rise rapidly in every part of the country due to the new coronavirus variant.
The public are being asked to follow the new rules, which have now replaced England’s tiers system, immediately.
It is expected the new lockdown in England – the third time a national shutdown has been introduced – will last until the middle of February.
Johnson expressed hope that, at this point, nearly 14 million people will have all been offered the first dose of a vaccine.
From now, people across the whole of England must now stay at home apart from for a limited number of exceptions including:
• for work, if people cannot work from home, such as those in the construction sector or key workers
• to shop for necessities such as food or medicines
• to exercise once per day at a local location. This can include with one other person from outside someone’s household or support/childcare bubble
• to provide care or help to vulnerable people
• to attend medical appointments, get medical care or a coronavirus test, or to flee the threat of harm or violence.
Johnson said that as of Monday, almost 27,000 people with Covid were in hospital — 40 percent more than at the peak of first wave of the outbreak on April last year.
A decision on whether to hold annual national exams for 16- and 18-year-olds will be made after consultations between the education secretary and qualifications bodies, Johnson said.
Shortly before the PM’s announcement, the four chief medical officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said the country had moved to the highest coronavirus level five.
That means the state-run National Health Service is at risk of being overwhelmed within 21 days if no action is taken.
Johnson said he hoped the restrictions could start to be lifted after the next school holidays in mid-February, and acknowledged the weeks ahead “will be the hardest yet”.
But he said he was encouraged by the roll-out of two Covid vaccines, including one developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, which could see the four most vulnerable groups inoculated in the next six weeks.
“With every jab that goes into our arms, we are tilting the odds against Covid and in favour of the British people,” he added.
