covid-19-grips-the-uk." class="sc-d16436d-0 kPzeuB">In September 2020, a lone commuter walks through London’s financial district as a second wave of Covid-19 grips the UK.
The usually bustling streets of london’s financial heart were eerily silent this week as new restrictions aimed at curbing a resurgent Covid-19 outbreak took effect. After a brief period of decline,cases began climbing again in late August,fueled in part by the return of students to universities and,possibly,a government initiative designed to boost the hospitality sector.
The government’s ”Eat Out to Help Out” scheme, running from August 3-31, 2020, offered subsidized meals at participating restaurants and pubs. The program proved wildly popular,with visitor numbers increasing by more than 50% compared to the previous August,according to BBC reporting. However, the influx of diners coincided with a rise in Sars-CoV-2, the virus causing Covid-19.
Confirmed Covid-19 infections, previously in decline, began to rise again. Universities reopening for the new academic year also saw a spike in cases. By September 21, 2020, the government’s scientific advisor, Patrick Vallance, warned of a potential 50,000 new cases daily if action wasn’t taken, as reported by the BBC. The following day, Prime Minister boris Johnson announced new restrictions in a statement to parliament, seeking to slow the spread of the virus.
