|
 Last week, Johnson set out proposals to eliminate rules on
mask-wearing and social contact, and the instruction to work from
home where possible, on what he has called a "one-way road to
freedom". He will announce his final decision at a news conference
on Monday afternoon.
"The global pandemic is not over yet," he said in a statement
released late on Sunday.
"Cases will rise as we unlock, so as we confirm our plans today, our
message will be clear. Caution is absolutely vital, and we must all
take responsibility so we don’t undo our progress."
Britain has implemented one of the world's fastest vaccination
programmes, with more than 87% of adults having received at least
one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 66% having received two.
The government argues that the fact that deaths and hospital
admissions remain far lower than before, even though cases have
surged, is proof that the vaccines are saving lives and it is safer
to open up.
Nevertheless, recent weeks have seen a striking surge in infections,
to rates unseen since the winter, with some epidemiologists voicing
concern that the Euro 2020 soccer championships might have helped to
fuel the rise.
Britain, which ranks 20th in the world for per-capita reported
deaths
https://ourworldindata.org/
explorers/
coronavirus-data-explorer?tab=table&zoomToSelection=
rue&time=2020-03-01..
latest&pickerSort=
asc&pickerMetric=location&
Metric=Confirmed+
deaths&Interval=Cumulative&
Relative+to+Population=true&
Align+outbreaks=false from COVID-19, on Sunday reported a further
31,772 COVID-19 cases and 26 additional deaths within 28 days of a
positive test, up 31% and 44% respectively in the space of a week.
[to top of second column] |
 London's Wembley Stadium hosted
the final on Sunday between England and Italy.
Large crowds gathered in London, including
around the stadium, and there were reports that
some had gained entry to the match without
tickets to join the more than 60,000 who had
them. "Am I supposed to be
enjoying watching transmission happening in front of my eyes?" World
Health Organization (WHO) epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove tweeted
in the late stages of the match.
"The #COVID19 pandemic is not taking a break tonight ... #SARSCoV2 #DeltaVariant
will take advantage of unvaccinated people, in crowded settings,
unmasked, screaming/shouting/singing. Devastating."
Johnson indicated last week that a legal requirement to wear masks
in indoor public settings would be ended, although vaccine minister
Nadhim Zahawi on Sunday said guidelines would state that "people are
expected to wear masks in indoor enclosed spaces", he said.
Johnson's office says the green light to lift restrictions depended
on meeting four tests: enough people being vaccinated, vaccines
reducing hospitalisations and deaths, hospitals being free from
pressure and variants not posing too great a risk.
(Reporting by Costas Pitas and Alistair Smout, and by Emma Farge in
Geneva;Editing by Kevin Liffey)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
