- Coronavirus infections in the UK are rising rapidly
- The situation is exceptional in Birmingham, where in the week of September 2-8, the number of new infections exceeded the levels at the peak of the April epidemic. Additional restrictions will apply in the city from Tuesday
- On Friday, the entire county of Merseyside, whose administrative center is Liverpool, was added to the watch list due to the growing number of cases
In the UK, the rise in infections that has been noticeable over the past month has clearly accelerated over the past week. Until Saturday, their number did not exceed 2,000, while last Sunday it approached the level of 3,000 for the first time. Yesterday, a lot of infections were also recorded in the country – the most during the day since May 17 (3,000 539). At the same time, it meant an increase of over 600 infections compared to the previous day:
The ban will apply to meetings in private homes, places such as bars and restaurants, as well as parks or other open public spaces. It will exclude households of more than six people, schools, workplaces, weddings and funerals held in compliance with the rules of safety, and organized sports games. The full list of exceptions is to be published before the ban enters into force.
A penalty of £ 100 will be imposed for breaking it, which will be doubled for each subsequent offense, up to £ 3,200. The ban only applies to England, because health issues in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland remain within the competence of the local governments and they set the limits.
Until now, gatherings of more than 30 people have been illegal in England. The government decided to tighten the regulations after three consecutive days with a large increase in new coronavirus infections. On Sunday and Monday, almost 3 thousand of them were detected, which was an increase of approx. 1 thousand. 150 compared to Saturday’s balance sheet, which was already one of the highest in the last dozen or so weeks, while on Tuesday the balance was 2,000. 460.
Details of the new rules will be presented by Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a press conference in Downing Street on Wednesday, but his office has already released an excerpt from his statement:
– We must act now to contain the spread of the virus. So we simplify and strengthen the rules on social contacts – making them more understandable and also easier for the police to enforce. It is absolutely imperative that people now follow these rules and remember the basics – washing their hands, covering their face, staying away from others and having a test taken if anyone has symptoms, Johnson said.
In Birmingham, the UK’s second-largest city, a ban on meeting people outside of your household, both indoors and outdoors, will enter into force on Tuesday.
This is the result of the rapidly increasing number of coronavirus infections. Within seven days, up to and including September 8, there were 78.2 of them detected per 100,000. residents, while during the previous week the figure was 32.
This means that during the week of September 2-8, the number of new infections had already exceeded the levels of the peak of the April epidemic, and in relation to the population it is the second highest in the country in Birmingham, behind Bolton in the North West of England, where additional restrictions had already been introduced.
The ban on meetings will apply to Birmingham as well as the nearby cities of Solihull and Sandwell, which means it will affect more than 1.6 million people. However, it does not apply to schools, workplaces or public transport. On Friday, the entire Merseyside County, whose administrative center is Liverpool, was added to the watch list due to the growing number of cases.
Below are the number of deaths in the UK due to coronavirus infection:
(Source: BBC, Sky News, Twitter, PAP. Ks)
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