London, most of Essex and parts of Hertfordshire will pass the highest level of restrictions on Covid. The new decision, which will affect about 34 million people, came after Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that there has been an increase in cases of infections with a new variant of Covid .
"We have currently identified over a thousand cases with this variant, mainly in the south of England, although cases have been identified in over 60 different areas and the numbers are growing rapidly."
Starting Wednesday (December 16th) about 61% of the English population will be placed under third-level restrictive measures.
Some of the rules:
- It is forbidden to gather people indoors, in private gardens or in places outdoors, with the exception of family members or other family members.
- Outdoor gatherings are allowed up to six people.
- Shops, gyms and personal care services can be left open, as can swimming pools.
- Bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants must be closed, in addition to delivery services and "take away".
- Fans are not allowed to attend sporting events in the stadium, even with reduced capacity.
- Entertainment venues, such as cinemas and theaters, will be closed.
- People are advised not to travel to and from tertiary areas.
Hancock said the UK has notified the World Health Organization of the new variant. Fortunately, scientists believe it is "very unlikely" that the Covid-19 vaccine will be ineffective against the new variant.
For more on virus mutations and their worst case scenario, click here .
Source: BBC
