Lifting gradually the restrictions introduced due to coronavirus, the cabinet of Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that if the disease increases again, all steps may be undone, and if there is a lot of infection in some area, it may introduce local blockades, although it was not specified what they would look like .
Leicester was the first to report that the government is considering including such a blockade. According to this newspaper, Health Minister Matt Hancock is looking at the legal aspects of such actions. These reports were later confirmed by Interior Minister Priti Patel.
The health ministry admitted on Sunday that Leicester was an area of concern and urged residents to exercise extreme caution.
The government’s consideration of such a local blockade in Leicester is associated with a large number of new infections in this city. According to data from June 16, 2,000 have been detected in Leicester since the outbreak of the epidemic. 494 cases of coronavirus, of which as many as 658 – or over 26 percent – during the first two weeks of June. Meanwhile, throughout the country, the number of new infections is clearly decreasing this month.
Ethnic structure is an additional concern. Of all the major cities in the United Kingdom, Leicester has the highest proportion of ethnic minority populations, including particularly large ones of South Asian origin, and is a group that, according to statistics, is more likely to die from coronavirus infection. A large proportion of infections occur in the eastern part of the city, where there are large clusters of people of South Asian origin.
(dp)
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