COVID-19: Hancock does not rule out local lockdowns for Bolton and Blackburn due to Indian variant | UK News

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has not ruled out imposing local lockdown restrictions in places most affected by the Indian variant of the coronavirus.

With higher transmissibility than the Kent variant – which resulted in the UK’s second murderous wave – there are concerns that the Indian variant could derail the latest step in England’s roadmap to lift all restrictions. June 21st.

So far, more than 1,300 cases of the Indian variant have been found in the UK, with Mr Hancock warning that it is ‘becoming the dominant strain’ in places such as Bolton and Blackburn.

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Although he has declared tomorrow’s third leg, the easing of lockdown restrictions across England – allowing limited indoor mixing between households – would still move forward, the Health Secretary said it was “too early to say” whether the fourth and final leg of England’s roadmap would go as planned.

And, asked if the roadmap could be changed to see different restrictions in some parts of the country than in others, Mr Hancock told Sky News ‘Sophy Ridge On Sunday:’ We are not ruling this out. .

“The approach we take at Bolton and Blackburn is to absolutely stack tests and vaccinations to try to overcome that.

Mr Hancock pointed to the “difference between now and December” – when the Kent variant was discovered and pushed England into a third nationwide lockdown – which was the vaccine rollout and an “amazing testing and surveillance system” .

He said efforts were made to test 35,000 people this weekend in response to growing cases of the Indian variant, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans to speed up second-dose vaccinations for people from priority groups.

“When we had a South African epidemic …