LONDON: Lawmakers in Britain’s House of Commons (lower house of parliament) on Tuesday gave the go-ahead to tough measures put forward by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to fight COVID-19.
Their approval of new restrictions paves the way for Liverpool to become the first British city to face the toughest local lockdown measures from Wednesday, which will see venues such as bars and pubs closed unless they can operate as restaurants, while people are also banned from socializing with other households.
Johnson on Tuesday set out a new three-level COVID-19 alert system that will be implemented across England, with the level being decided according to local infection rates.
The alert system comprises three levels: ”Medium”, “High” and “Very High”. The Liverpool City Region will be placed in the “very high” level from Wednesday.
As lawmakers were debating Johnson’s new measures, the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, announced he now supported a complete two or three weeks of lockdown across England as a “circuit breaker” to halt the spread of the virus.
He proposed a temporary set of restrictions designed to get the infection rate down, with every pub, bar and restaurant in England closed for two-to-three weeks.
Starmer said it could be timed to coincide with school half-term holidays to minimize disruption. But he admitted a circuit break would require significant sacrifices across the country.
Starmer’s intervention followed what he said was advice from top scientists in Britain, adding Johnson’s government had not got a credible plan to slow infections.
“So act now, break the cycle,” he added, telling Johnson he would be backed the House of Commons.–Agencies
