Carbis Bay | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned on Saturday that the spread of the delta type of coronavirus in the UK, which initially emerged in India, was a “great concern”, raising fears that the lifting of the latest anti-coronavirus could be delayed. 19 restrictions.
“It is clear that the Indian alternative is more transmissible and that cases and hospitalization levels are increasing,” the leader told Sky News on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Cornwall.
“Right now, we don’t know exactly how much of that will translate into excessive annihilation,” he eased, “but this is clearly a very serious issue.”
About 60% more contagious than the alpha variant that emerged in England, the delta variant is now prevalent in the UK, the country most affected in Europe by the pandemic, with nearly 128,000 deaths.
After a long period of winter confinement and a vigorous vaccination campaign, the government gradually removed the restrictions.
The lifting of recent measures (limiting gatherings and weddings, pub service, opening nightclubs, etc.), tentatively scheduled for June 21, is threatened by the recent surge in pollution, which now exceeds 7,000 new cases per day.
Less optimistic than at the beginning of the month about this full lifting on June 21, but the Prime Minister confirmed that no decision has been taken at the moment, and asked to wait for the official announcement scheduled for Monday.
“What we want is to make sure that this roadmap is irreversible, but you can’t have an irreversible roadmap if you’re not prepared to be careful,” he said.
The statements come as many scholars have called for caution in the face of the delta variable spread.
“We must really redouble our efforts and not lose all the advantages that have been gained thanks to the great efforts that have been made so far,” immunologist Peter Openshaw said on the BBC on Saturday morning.
The British press is currently talking about a possible four-week delay in the complete abolition of restrictions, which worries some companies.
“Many bars, restaurants and other establishments are at the end of their rope,” Mark Littlewood, director of the IEA’s Institute of Economic Affairs, said in a statement, adding that the delay “could deal a fatal blow.” For a sector that relied on the summer to recover its losses.
According to him, the delay will lead to losses for the economy amounting to one billion pounds (1.17 billion euros) per week.