England faces wider lockdown in race to contain new COVID strain

Pedestrians pass a sign that reads "Covid-19 Keep Apart", on Oxford Street in central London, U.K., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. The City of London's traffic-lite streets look set to outlast the pandemic. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

Tim Ross, Bloomberg News

Dec 30, 2021

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More areas of England are set to be put into lockdown as the new coronavirus strain puts hospitals under growing pressure, the government said.

People living in London, Essex and Kent should behave as if they have COVID-19, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in an interview with LBC radio on Wednesday.

The spread of the new variant means more parts of the country will be placed under toughest tier 4 lockdown restrictions, Hancock said, adding that he will set out details in a statement to Parliament on Wednesday afternoon.

The minister said the arrival of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which will begin roll-out in hospitals from Jan. 4, will speed up the national recovery, with restrictions lifting during “spring” 2021. “It’s a matter of holding our nerve for a few weeks,” he said.