New COVID restraints in UK to be ‘absolute last resort’
The British Health Minister insisted on Saturday that the re-imposition of coronavirus restrictions in England would be “the last resort” and that the country must “try to live with COVID”.
Britain is among the countries most affected by the pandemic in Europe, with almost 149,000 deaths. On Friday, nearly 190,000 new cases were counted, an unprecedented daily count and up nearly 50 percent week over week.
The UK government, which has responsibility for health policies in England alone, has so far refused to curb socialization and major events, unlike the rest of Britain.
Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have all issued new Christmas rules limiting meetings, as the Omicron variant leads to an unprecedented increase in infections across the country.
But the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson in London insists that the data does not yet justify such measures in England, where hospital staff absences due to COVID more than double in a month and are being built on-site hospitals.
“Restricting our freedom must be the last resort and the British people rightly expect us to do everything we can to prevent it,” Health Secretary Sajid Javid wrote in a newspaper article. Daily Mail.
“I was determined to give ourselves the best chance of living with the virus,” he added, noting the “huge health, social and economic costs of lock-in.”
Despite the record increase in infections, there has been a less dramatic increase in the numbers admitted to hospitals and intensive care units, which has raised hopes that Omicron is less severe.
“I am working closely with the NHS, to make sure it is ready and resilient for what is to come,” Javid promised.
In England, the government last month ordered the wearing of masks in most environments, work from home if possible and a COVID pass system for nightclubs and big events.
But he stopped for more measures.
Instead, it is relying on an enhanced vaccination program, which has seen every adult offer a third dose by the end of 2021 and about 60 percent of the eligible population get a jab booster.
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