By Ben Kerrigan-
Scientists from the Independent Sage group have urged that all regions of England be placed in tier 4, meaning that non-essential shops, hairdressers, and leisure and entertainment venues must close. Devolved nations have also been advised to bring forward their own national lockdowns.
Tier 4 should include enhanced travel restrictions, the group say, as they called for an emergency plan be introduced to enable safe education in January and February.
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
Cases of the new variant Covid-19 virus were confirmed in several European countries on Saturday, including Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. All were linked to people who had arrived from the UK. It has led to several countries banning arrivals from the Uk.
An estimated 24 million people in England, more than 40% of the population, are now living in tier 4, as pressure mounts for the whole country to be put in this category.
This idea is supported by teaching unions, who have demanded that the government keeps schools closed as evidence has grown that the new virus variant is proving to be particularly infectious among children.
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
This point was backed by Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia. “If this new variant is behind the increase in this age group, then that is a big worry,” he said.
France announced this weekend that it has discovered its first case of the new variant – a French citizen who arrived in Tours after travelling from London a week ago, according to health officials.
In Madrid, Spanish officials said three cases of the new variant recently discovered in the country involved relatives of a man who had arrived from the UK on Christmas Eve, while the fourth case also involved a traveller from the UK. None of the patients was reported to be seriously ill.
In the UK, the NHS on Saturday revealed that a further 161 people who had tested positive for Covid-19 have died. The patients were aged between 44 and 100 years old, and all except eight had known underlying health conditions. The figure brings the total number of confirmed reported Covid deaths in hospitals in England to 48,311.
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar