Announcement of COVID-19 Restrictions on the 22nd... Includes Restaurant Operating Hours Limits and Expanded Mask Wearing
"Your Cough Is a Death Signal to Others... Collective Fate Depends on Individual Actions"
On the 22nd (local time), a TV installed in a pub in the UK shows Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivering a national address. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] British Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphasized compliance with new restrictions to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and did not completely rule out the possibility of a second lockdown.
According to BBC and others on the 22nd (local time), Prime Minister Johnson urged the British public to comply with the new COVID-19 restrictions during a televised national address that evening. Earlier that day, Johnson announced new measures in a statement to the House of Commons, including restrictions on pub and restaurant operating hours, expanded mask-wearing mandates, limits on indoor sports, and caps on attendance at weddings and funerals.
Johnson said, "I know this country loves freedom," adding, "Most people are following the rules, but there are still too many violations, allowing the invisible enemy (the virus) to go undetected and slip through." He continued, "If people do not follow the measures we have put in place, we will have no choice but to take further steps."
The Guardian analyzed this as "Johnson not ruling out the second lockdown card." Although Johnson said when announcing the measures that "we are far from returning to the full lockdown of last March," it is considered that if the current spread continues, lockdown measures may be reintroduced.
Johnson also addressed those who take COVID-19 lightly, stating, "Your cough could be a death signal to others." Regarding the argument that the elderly or vulnerable groups should be kept at home, he explained, "It is unrealistic. If the virus seeps into the rest of the population, it will eventually reach the elderly as well."
Johnson projected that the situation would improve significantly by next spring based on vaccine development progress and the establishment of large-scale testing capacity. He said, "In our history, the fate or health of the community has never depended so entirely on individual behavior as it does now," adding, "The war against COVID-19 is not over."
Emphasizing a strong response, Johnson said, "If we all follow these simple measures together, we can get through the winter together," and urged, "There is no doubt that good days lie ahead of us. But now is the time to summon the discipline, determination, and spirit of cooperation that will bind us all."
This measure is based on warnings issued by the government the day before. Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and Chief Medical Adviser Professor Chris Whitty expressed concerns at a press conference that COVID-19 infections in the UK are doubling every seven days, and if this continues, there could be 50,000 new cases per day by mid-next month.
According to Worldometer, the UK's cumulative COVID-19 cases stand at 403,551, with a total of 41,825 deaths. The number of new daily cases, which had risen to the 7,000s in April and dropped to the 300s in July, has recently surged again, exceeding 4,000 daily cases.
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