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The new pressure of coronavirus currently travelling in parts of England is “out of control,” UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock told media organisations on Sunday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared stricter limitations ahead of Christmas.
Hancock added the government acted “very fast and decisively”.
The UK prime minister announced on Saturday that London and parts of southeast and east England will move to “Tier 4” limitations with all non-essential shops meeting from Sunday.
People in those areas must live at home and cannot travel during the holidays and the government is suggesting that people in all Tiers should stay local and not go during Christmas.
“It is with a very huge heart I need tell you we cannot proceed with Christmas as planned,” Johnson said at a press convention on Saturday, stating that they “bitterly regret” the changes that need to be made.
The government had originally intended to relax rules providing three households to meet over five days for Christmas, but that will just now be limited to just Christmas Day.
It comes a really “dramatic increase” in diseases in the southeast and London where in some states, most of the new COVID-19 cases are the new variant, said Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer.
Whitty said that in various parts of England, this new variant was less found is basically due to its transmissibility they were asking people not to travel.
“We think it may be in other nations as well,” added Vallance.
Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford said that his nation would be also locked from Sunday following a conference with UK officials over the new variant.
In Wales, people from two families can choose in a “bubble”, Drakeford said.
“The situation is incredibly serious. I cannot stress this,” he said.