LONDON, Nov 6, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for a
united effort to tackle spiking coronavirus infection rates, as 56 million
people in England went into a second lockdown but with the public weary of
restrictions and fearing for their livelihoods.
Renewed stay-at-home restrictions and business closures came into force
Thursday and are set to last for four weeks yet have been met with scepticism
that they can halt the worst death toll from the virus in Europe.
“While it pains me to have to ask once again for so many to give up so
much, I know that, together, we can get through this,” said Johnson, whose
government sets health policy in England.
“We can do this, we will do this by December 2nd,” he told a news
conference, promising that compliance could see people enjoy “as normal a
Christmas as possible”.
The latest lockdown came into force at 0001 GMT Thursday and by daybreak
had turned normally bustling cities into ghost towns.
“You can’t imagine from yesterday to today how different it is. It’s
completely dead now,” Maria Belkihel, 42, told AFP in London’s best-known
shopping spot, Oxford Street.
The Bank of England unveiled an extra œ150 billion ($195 billion) in
economic support, on top of new Treasury measures to subsidise the wages of
furloughed workers until March 2021.
Johnson said the package showed his government will “continue to support
people affected by these new restrictions”.
The government also announced passengers arriving in Britain from Germany
and Sweden must self-isolate for 14 days from 0400 GMT Saturday, the latest
countries removed from its coronavirus travel list.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab began self-isolating after coming
into contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, a spokesman said.
“He will continue to work remotely during this time,” he added.
– Economic concerns mounting –
Johnson abandoned a recently introduced system of regional curbs and
announced the shutdown after dire warnings that hospitals could soon be
overwhelmed with Covid-19 cases.
Simon Stevens, the head of the state-run National Health Service (NHS) in
England, urged compliance and warned: “This second wave of Covid is real and
it is serious.”
“Today’s infection is the intensive care order book for a fortnight’s
time,” he added, noting the total number of patients admitted to hospital had
shot up from below 500 in early September to more than 11,000.
Opinion polls suggest overall public backing for the revived stay-at-home
policy.
But concerns are mounting about the impact on the economy and mental
health, and dozens of lawmakers in Johnson’s ruling Conservative party
rebelled against the new measures during a vote in parliament Wednesday.
On Thursday night, demonstrators gathered in central London to protest the
new lockdown, with police saying they had arrested more than 100, the
majority for breaching the new restrictions.
To avoid extending the lockdown, Johnson is pinning his hopes on an
ambitious new programme of Covid testing to detect and isolate infected
people, starting with a city-wide trial launching in Liverpool on Friday.
Around 2,000 military personnel are being mobilised to help in the pilot,
which will identify positive cases even in people without symptoms.
The government has spent œ12 billion on testing programmes, but researchers
say most members of the public are failing to isolate or report their
contacts fully.
– ‘100 percent culpable’ –
Britain has recorded nearly 48,000 deaths linked to the coronavirus from
more than one million positive cases: 492 deaths were recorded on Wednesday –
– the highest since May.
As in March, when the first shutdown was ordered, critics accuse Johnson of
failing to heed warnings by government scientists and acting too late.
The new restrictions bring England into line with other parts of the UK,
which have their own devolved governments, and with nations in Europe
including France.
They include a return to working from home where possible and the closure
of all non-essential shops and services.
Schools will remain open. Exemptions include outdoor exercise and visits to
the doctor or pharmacy.
Michael Eppy, a public relations expert on his way to a medical
appointment, said: “I don’t think anyone is particularly happy about the
lockdown.”
Doubting Johnson’s assurances of a four-week limit, Eppy, 35, said:
“However long this lockdown lasts, it is this government that is 100 percent
culpable.”