Boris Johnson to Tighten U.K. Virus Rules as Hospitals Put on Standby

Johnson to Tighten U.K. Virus Rules as Hospitals Put on Standby

Boris Johnson prepared new restrictions to control the U.K.’s coronavirus pandemic as medical officials put three emergency hospitals on standby to handle a surge in cases.

Johnson is set to outline a tiered alert system on Monday to divide England into areas of “medium,” “high” and “very high” alert, with increasingly strict virus control measures. It comes as top medical officials paint a grim picture of the resurgent outbreak, pointing to rising cases, hospital admissions and deaths, especially in Northern England.

“If we do not take measures to control the spread of the virus, the death toll will be too great to bear,” NHS England Medical Director Stephen Powis said in a televised press conference on Monday. He said so-called Nightingale hospitals -- built to boost capacity during the first virus peak -- are being put on standby in Manchester, Sunderland and Harrogate to receive patients if needed.

The government is grappling with a surge in cases across the U.K. in recent days. Some 17 million people are already subject to tighter curbs imposed in their areas, including bans on household mixing, with further restrictions likely this week. Johnson has warned restrictions are likely to be in place for another six months.

The prime minister is formalizing the tiered system with his Cobra emergency committee on Monday, before announcing it in the House of Commons. Members of Parliament will get a chance to vote on the plan on Tuesday, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said.

‘Difficult Action’

“The point of doing this now is to ensure that we get the disease under control,” Dowden told the BBC on Monday. “If we don’t take this reasonable, measured and proportionate action now, we will need to take more difficult action further down the line.”

Having being criticized for a lack of outreach to mayors and councils, Johnson’s office stressed the latest measures had been discussed with local leaders this weekend, with the prime minister speaking directly to Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, which alongside other parts of the north, may be hit by some of the harshest measures.

Read More: Boris Johnson Is Fighting 7 Battles at Once over Lockdown Plans

Powis said there are now more Covid-19 patients in hospital than before the U.K. went into a national lockdown in March. Jonathan Van Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, said at the same briefing that while the resurgence is clearest in northern England, the problem is nationwide.

New restrictions could include closing some hospitality and leisure venues and a request to avoid travel into or out of local hot spots. They’ll be subject to a review every four weeks, according to ITV. While infection rates in London are lower than some parts of the country, Mayor Sadiq Khan warned last week new restrictions for the capital are inevitable.

Public Message

After his appearance in the Commons, Johnson will hold a televised press conference alongside Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty.

The government on Friday laid out more support for workers in areas hit by local lockdowns, with Sunak pledging to pay two-thirds of the wages of employees in companies forced to close. Economists say that move will only help limit an expected surge in unemployment this winter, amid fears new restrictions will choke off an already sluggish recovery.

The virus has already killed more than 42,000 people in Britain, and health officials fear many more could die this winter. A poll from Ipsos MORI on Sunday showed the public largely supports new restrictions, with seven in 10 people backing local lockdowns in areas where cases of coronavirus are on the rise.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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