London: Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a radical national lockdown after learning that the second wave hitting England was more severe than the government’s worst-case scenario predictions and could do collapse the health system
« If we don’t act, we could see deaths in this country in the thousands a day, » Johnson said at a hastily-organized press conference on Saturday night « No responsible prime minister can ignore the message of these figures »
The government estimates the disease could kill 85,000 people in Britain during the winter – in addition to the 60,000 dead since the pandemic began earlier this year
Schools in England will remain open during the closing month, but restaurants, bars, cafes, non-essential shops and some offices will be closed
People should stay at home unless they need to go to school or work, buy basic food, take care of a vulnerable person, or to exercise
Johnson is responsible for England’s strategy Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own health and education systems and have imposed lockdowns
The PM was scheduled to make the announcement on Monday, but postponed it until Saturday after a series of damaging newspaper leaks overnight caused confusion and anger
The decision is a major turnaround on the part of the Prime Minister and has damaged his reputation within the Conservative Party
While Johnson has always reserved the right to impose tougher measures, he has spent the past two months saying that a second lockdown would be a ‘disaster’ and inflict ‘misery’ on the public
The government’s powerful Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) urged it to allow a two-week ‘breaker’ lockout in September, but the PM rejected the advice
« We had to listen to all kinds of scientific advice, » Johnson said on Saturday « But we also need to balance that scientific advice with the consequences on people’s lives, their mental health and their livelihoods »
Labor and other critics have said the delay means England will instead face a longer and more economically damaging lockdown that is less successful in reducing the death toll
Government experts have found that even the thousands of additional hospital beds created to deal with the pandemic would be overwhelmed in most parts of England in late November and early December
Ten hospitals already have more patients than the first wave and 14 currently have more than half
Johnson said allowing the National Health Service to be overrun would be a « medical and moral disaster »
« Doctors and nurses would be forced to choose which patients to treat, who would get oxygen and who wouldn’t, who would live and who would die, » he said
Daily death toll in first wave peaked at around 1,000 per day Latest forecast shows winter wave would kill 1,000 people per day from December 8 and end up claiming 85,000 lives by March
« Christmas will be very different this year, maybe very different But I sincerely hope that by acting now we can allow families to be together », said the Prime Minister
The UK has recorded an average of around 23,000 new cases per day over the past week, but figures do not reflect the actual number of infections
The Bureau for National Statistics said on Friday there were 51,900 new infections in England alone every day Another study from Imperial College London put the figure at 96,000
« We have to be humble in the face of nature and in this country, alas, the virus is spreading even faster than the reasonable worst-case scenario of our science advisers, » Johnson said
The worst-case scenario is not a forecast but is used by government officials and National Health Service officials to plan for the second wave
Professor John Edmunds, an epidemiologist who sits at SAGE, warned the country should brace for a bleak winter
« It is really unthinkable now, unfortunately, that we did not count our deaths in the tens of thousands from this wave, » he said on Saturday « The problem is, will it be tens of thousands if we take drastic action now or will it be in the tens of thousands if we don’t? »
Nationwide lockouts were ordered this week in Germany, France, Austria and Belgium, where infections have increased Borders within the European Union are still open but travel is discouraged And as the Great Britain, schools will remain open in these four countries
Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a lockdown on Wednesday when the number of bimonthly infections reached 195 per 100,000 population The equivalent figure in the UK is 451
« The idea that there is the perfect time to act is a misconception, » Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said on Saturday
The lockdown will be put to a vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday before going into effect Thursday
However, many Tory MPs oppose lockdowns and could vote against government Johnson could count on Labor support to push plan through parliament Labor had urged Johnson to pass a lockdown two weeks earlier this month
British media have said backbench MPs have gone « nuclear » over Johnson’s decision and anger within the party is « volcanic »
Jeremy Hunt, former health secretary and Johnson’s rival in last year’s Tory leadership contest, took a slight look at the government’s response to the crisis, but supported the Prime Minister’s decision
« Many will debate whether we could have avoided getting to this point, but in a pandemic I would rather a PM who is brave enough to change his mind than one who risks his life by putting himself out there. head in the sand, « he said
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World News – AU – Panicked Johnson Orders New Lockdown, Second Wave On Track To Kill 85,000 people
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
