Lockdown easing in England delayed until next month
The Delta variant of Covid-19 is growing in the UK at 7% week on week and the government fears that if restrictions were to be fully lifted next Monday, then hospitalisations could rise to the levels seen in the country’s first wave.
PRETORIA, June 15 (ANA) – England’s plan to lift all Covid-19 restrictions on June 21 has been thwarted by the Delta variant of the virus, the BBC quoted Prime Minister Boris Johnson as saying on Monday.
The move has been postponed to July 19.
Boris wrote on Twitter that it was a difficult choice but had to be done.
“There is a real possibility that the virus will outrun the vaccines and that thousands more deaths would ensue that could otherwise have been avoided,” Johnson said.
“We can give our NHS a few more crucial weeks to get those remaining jabs into the arms of those who need them. And since today I cannot say that we have met all four tests for proceeding with Step 4, I do think it is sensible to wait just a little longer.”
The British broadcaster said England’s easing of lockdown would have allowed venues and events to operate without capacity limits and the cap on guests at weddings would be lifted.
It would also have meant an end to current rules which limit gatherings at home to six people or two households.
According to CNN, the Delta variant, first discovered in India, is growing in the UK at 7% week on week and the government fears that if restrictions were to be fully lifted, then hospitalisations could rise to the levels seen in the country’s first wave.
Public Health England (PHE) reported on Monday that the two main vaccines used in the UK are highly effective against the variant.
PHE says that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective against the variant after two doses, while the Pfizer-BioNTech shot offers 96% protection after two doses.
The health department said it has previously published an analysis showing that one dose is 17% less effective at preventing symptomatic illness from the Delta variant, compared to Alpha, but there is only a small difference after two doses.
The British government intends to achieve two jabs per person in the next four weeks, by reducing the gap between doses from 12 weeks to eight for people over the age of 40. Everyone over the age of 40 who had a dose in mid-May will be offered a second by July 19, CNN wrote.
– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher
