Amidst Ômicron outbreak, British prime minister resists new lockdown

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday (4) that England could withstand an outbreak of Covid-19 infections without shutting down its economy, while the UK reported a new daily record in new cases, generated by Ômicron variant.

Johnson has resisted the imposition of strict lockdown measures in England. His bet is that the campaign for booster doses of the vaccine and caution among the population will be enough to limit the latest wave of infections.

The UK reported 218,724 new Covid cases on Tuesday, a new record for the number of cases reported in a single day — though the figure is also skewed by delays in case records over the holiday season.

Johnson said he will stick to the measures of the so-called “Plan B”, introduced in England last month, which includes the use of face masks in public transport and in shops, but does not restrict meetings or close businesses.

“Along with the Plan B measures we introduced before Christmas, we have a chance to get off this Ômicron wave without closing our country again. We can keep our schools and businesses open, and we can find a way to live with this virus,” Johnson said.

“But the weeks going forward will be challenging, both here in the UK and around the world. There is no getting away from the fact that some services will be interrupted due to the shortage of employees”.

The prime minister has warned that hospitals will face considerable pressure in the coming weeks. Just this Tuesday, Johnson announced daily tests for 100,000 workers in essential sectors.

Reference: CNN Brasil

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