by the UK Parliament shows Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson
during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons in
London on July 15, 2020. JESSICA TAYLOR / AFP / UK
PARLIAMENT
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday he
could close pubs earlier to “stop the second hump” of coronavirus
cases, comparing the country’s trajectory of resurgent transmission
to a camel’s profile.
His government is set to unveil new restrictions in England,
which could also include greater social curbs, later on Thursday,
initially targeting the northeast region where Covid-19 cases are
surging.
It already imposed rules across England on Monday limiting
socialising to groups of six people or fewer, as daily cases reach
levels not seen since early May.
In an interview with The Sun newspaper, Johnson said new
measures may be needed as “the only way to make sure the country is
able to enjoy Christmas” and an alternative to another full
lockdown.
“What I don’t want to be doing is locking down sections of the
economy,” he said.
“We can grip it now, stop the surge, arrest the spike, stop the
second hump of the dromedary, flatten the second hump,” Johnson
told the tabloid, before musing on his metaphor.
“Dromedary or camel? I can’t remember if it is a dromedary or a
camel that has two humps? Umm. Please check.”
Dromedaries are Arabian camels which have only one hump.
Johnson had compared Britain’s first wave of virus cases to a
sombrero hat, imploring people to “squash it” by obeying the
nationwide lockdown in place from late March until June.
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But the prime minister has faced stinging criticism this week
over the failure to achieve the “world-beating” testing and tracing
system he promised by the summer.
The government admits that increasing demand for virus tests is
posing problems, after hospital bosses warned delays in the system
were jeopardising healthcare services.
June 15, 2020 Commuters wearing face masks walk through the ticket
barriers at Waterloo Station in London on June 15, 2020 after new
rules make wearing face coverings on public transport compulsory
while the UK further eases its coronavirus lockdownNiklas HALLE’N /
AFP
It has blamed people who do not need tests overburdening the
system, with ministers vowing to unveil new prioritisation rules in
the coming days.
“I really sympathise for those that can’t get the test that they
want,” Johnson added, conceding “the system is really struggling
with the real weight of demand”.
“Often, and I don’t in any way reproach people for doing this,
but it’s a fact, a significant proportion of those people are
asymptomatic.”
Johnson vowed to “continue to ramp it up” and has promised to
have the capacity to test 500,000 people a day in place by
October.
Britain has been the worst-hit country in Europe from the
pandemic, with the government registering nearly 42,000 deaths.
The Office of National Statistics, which uses broader criteria
for counting Covid-19 fatalities, has said closer to 58,000 Britons
have died from the virus.
AFP
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/09/17/uks-pm-urges-britons-to-flatten-covid-19-pandemics-second-hump/