On Wednesday (January 19), British Prime Minister Johnson announced that because scientists believe that Aumicron has reached its peak in the country, the British government has lifted most of the epidemic prevention restrictions from January 27, including mandatory wearing of masks and vaccine passes (COVID Pass), so that Britons can further return to normal life. But British experts warned that the decision could allow the outbreak to rebound again.
Screenshot of the BBC report
According to the BBC report on January 20, the data shows that on Wednesday, there were 108069 new confirmed cases in the UK. Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser to the UK's Health Security Agency, said the next sharp drop in the confirmed case rate "may level off at some point". And once the Plan B (UK Policy) measure is lifted, people's behaviour (vaccinations and wearing masks) will "determine how quickly the infection spreads among the population". To date, the UK has vaccinated nearly 37 million doses of COVID-19.
Johnson said scientists believe the UK has reached the highest peak in covid-19 infections in Aumechroon, and while there is still pressure on the NHS in some parts of the north-east and north-west of the UK, the latest data show that infection levels across the country are declining and that the number of hospitalizations during the outbreak has stabilized.
Based on the above data, the British government has concluded that the "Plan B" of the anti-epidemic restriction will be lifted in England next Thursday, when people will not need to wear masks in confined spaces, staff and students will not have to wear masks in classrooms, and work from home arrangements will be cancelled immediately; and there will be no need to hold vaccination certificates to enter public places such as nightclubs. This means that the British have taken another step forward on the road back to normal life.
Johnson said it reflected the government's trust in the British people that people would make the right choice. He said confirmed people will still need to self-isolate, but does not expect to extend the self-isolation regulations that will expire in March, and will consider eliminating this epidemic prevention requirement earlier. Looking ahead, Johnson said the government will develop a long-term strategy to deal with the coronavirus.
Health Minister Sajid Javid said: "This is a moment we can all be proud of. But he also cautioned that this does not mean the end of the fight against the epidemic, because there is no way to eradicate the virus and future variants, on the contrary, "we must learn to coexist with the new crown virus, just like we live with the flu."
He urged people to continue to take steps to stop the spread of the virus and urged those who were not vaccinated to get vaccinated quickly.
Chart of the number of confirmed cases in the UK. Source: The Telegraph
Some British experts warned that the British government's plan to lift the epidemic prevention restrictions will make it possible for the Epidemic in the UK to rebound again. In particular, the Agence France-Presse report mentioned that some claimed that the relaxation of the epidemic prevention restrictions was promoted by the "embattled" Johnson, who wanted to please critics because Johnson was deeply involved in the scandal of attending parties during the NEW CROWN epidemic, which has caused dissatisfaction among party lawmakers and the voices within the party calling for his resignation have become increasingly loud.
The minutes of the Jan.7 meeting of the UK Government's Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) warned that lifting restrictions before the peak in all regions has passed could lead to more hospitalizations, sky news reported on Jan. 19. Modeling by the University of Warwick for SAGE suggests that if preventive behavior gradually declines within four months of the cancellation of Plan B, a spring surge could occur, resulting in daily hospitalizations of between 1,000 and 2,000 people. Virologists at the University of Warwick have suggested that the UK should be inclined to take a step-by-step approach given that cases remain high.
The Royal College of Nursing also cautioned that abandoning Plan B "will not help ease the pressure on the NHS". Its chief executive, Pat Cullen, said: "With the situation still so unstable, we cannot rely on vaccines alone. ”
According to the British "Independent" reported on the 20th, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that the London Transport Authority (TfL) network will still be mandatory to wear masks. He also urged Johnson to reconsider plans to remove masks from public transport and shops in all uk cities next week, saying the virus remains a threat. "If there's anything we've learned from this pandemic, it's that we can't be complacent and give up all our hard work and sacrifices."
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that in the case of the New Crown of Omikerong, "no country is out of the predicament" and now is not the time to "give up and wave the white flag". WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that Omilon was continuing to sweep the globe, with more than 18 million cases reported worldwide last week. The pandemic is "far from over" and warns that new variants may emerge.
On 19 December 2021, the British public waited in line outside the vaccination centre at Wembley Stadium. Pictured from Agence France-Presse
The covid-19 pandemic in Olmikron is highly contagious, and the number of deaths from COVID-19 is also climbing rapidly. Taking the United States as an example, according to the Observer Network, in the context of the strong spread of the variant, a wave of "death" in the United States is coming. According to experts' predictions, if the wave of deaths subsides in mid-March, it will take the lives of 50,000 to 300,000 Americans, and the total number of covid-19 deaths in the United States is likely to exceed 1 million.
Previously, the UK was the first country to adopt international travel restrictions in order to prevent and control the Opmikharong virus. Although cases in the UK have soared to record highs, hospitalizations and deaths have not risen by the same rate. Now that the cases have clearly peaked, the policy of "coexistence with the virus" has been switched.
In addition to the United Kingdom, many European countries have also recently relaxed epidemic prevention measures.
Ireland hopes to lift the restrictions on a large scale in the coming weeks. Switzerland announced that starting from the 22nd, those who have completed the new crown vaccination or those who have recovered from the new crown infection will no longer need to submit a negative CERTIFICATE of PCR test or antigen test.
The Netherlands has re-allowed non-essential shops, gyms, barbershops, etc. to open until 17:00. Denmark has decided to remove some of the restrictions and reopen theatres, cinemas, concert halls, etc., with all indoor events accommodating up to 500 people and catering establishments still closing at 23:00.
Catalonia, Spain, is about to lift the curfew, and the local government believes that although the epidemic has not yet peaked, there are signs that the spread of the new crown virus is slowing. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that the Spanish government is considering the new crown virus as a "endemic disease" to manage, he believes that there is no need to count new cases and deaths on a daily basis, and recommends a similar way to monitoring influenza.
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer Network and may not be reproduced without authorization.