The prime minister used his press conference in Downing Street to announce that the easing of the roadmap scheduled for June 21 will be delayed up to four weeks until July 19.
The announcement means that limits on the number of sporting events, pubs and cinemas will remain in place, nightclubs will remain closed, and people will be encouraged to maintain social distancing and work from home.
Johnson said it was “sensible to wait a little longer” to try to meet the goal of vaccinating two-thirds of adults twice, all those over the age of 50, first-line health and care workers.
He said: “The goal is to use these valuable and crucial weeks to save thousands of lives that would otherwise be lost by vaccinating millions of people as quickly as we can.”
Everyone over the age of 40 will be offered their first dose in mid-May, while the goal now is to offer everyone over the age of 18 their first dose by July 19.
The latest figures show that cases increased 64 percent per week and in the worst affected areas doubled each week.
There was a 61 percent increase in the number of hospitalizations in the North West in the week through June 12, and a 50 percent increase in England.
Johnson said that although the link between hospitalization and death had weakened, the number of people in intensive care was increasing.
Prof Chris Whitty said the Delta variant cases were increasing “exponentially” and a four-week delay “would reduce the risk of a very high spike that could cause major problems in terms of pressure on the NHS.”
The move has been greeted angrily by some Conservative MPs, and a vote in the next few days is expected to lead to a possible Conservative rebellion.
York Outer MP Julian Sturdy said he was confident that “the damage caused by this 4-week delay will be worse than any risk posed by the virus.”
Speaking to businesses and constituents, he knew that many “unfortunately can’t afford a few more weeks. Businesses are at a breaking point and have already invested their depleted savings to get their facilities compliant and then back to them. snatch any prospect of profit trading is limited for a few more weeks.
“A serious health crisis is building up as wait times for cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other ailments increase by the day, as the NHS is yet to have a primary focus on Covid-19 alone, a despite our leading immunization program that protects the most vulnerable and reduces hospitalizations by more than 80 percent. “
Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis said the government needed to continue its financial support for businesses. After a “horrendous” year for the hospitality and music and entertainment industry, huge amounts had been invested in preparations to reopen on June 21, with many selling tickets, buying stocks and hiring staff.
He said: “If restrictions persist, then support must remain as well. That means license payments will not be reduced, commercial rates will not be changed, and safeguards that prevent evictions will not be lifted.”
Shipley-based Saltaire Brewery Managing Director Ewen Gordon said they had already had to make a lot of adaptations to their operation and some of the changes he thinks will stick, such as table service and per app ordering. The most important thing was “trust”. He said: “We don’t want a checkup every four to five weeks. We hope, and all the evidence suggests, that a few more weeks of vaccinations and we can have the confidence to live our lives and get back to normal.” . “
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Source: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-06-14 18:04:28