United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson may not lift the country’s strict COVID-19 restrictions until Easter, if cases continue to spike.
Currently the UK is experiencing a second lockdown as COVID-19 cases threatened to overwhelm their health system. In a bid to keep the NHS afloat, Johnson has decided to keep the tiered restrictions in place until Easter, according to an exclusive in The Sun.
“Boris will not countenance hospitals overflowing like they did in Italy,” a senior government source told The Sun. “Nor can we get to the stage where we have to cancel operations and treatments. In all likelihood, the tiers have to stay.”
The country’s total case count is 1,574,562 and total death toll sits at 57,551.
Rather than a sweeping lockdown, the country has gone into a system where certain areas are under tighter rules than others depending on their case load and the state of their hospitals. There are concerns that much of England will have to go into stricter Tier 3 as 2021 arrives, while Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland will remain at lower levels.
The holiday times have been concerning for many countries as families travelling to visit each other pose a threat of cluster outbreaks and could cause larger community transmission.
While not as bad as the UK, South Africa has also steadily seen a rise in COVID-19 infections since a slowing down around October. The Western Cape in particular has noted a surge in cases, and Premier Alan Winde implored with residents to help avoid a second wave.
