From 00:00 local time on december 16th, the epidemic prevention restrictions in Greater London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire were officially raised to level 3.
In order to have a good holiday, the British government is considering relaxing epidemic prevention restrictions for the Christmas holiday, but the plan has caused much controversy.
British Prime Minister Johnson made it clear on the 16th that he would continue to relax epidemic prevention measures during the Christmas holiday.
The BBC reported on the 16th that the third level is the highest level of epidemic prevention measures. According to regulations, local bars and restaurants must be closed and only take-out or take-out services are provided.
People should reduce unnecessary travel and cannot stay at home or other places with people other than cohabitants or government-allowed gathering families. Gathering in indoor public places, gathering in parks, beaches and other outdoor public places should not exceed 6 people.
At present, more than 34 million Britons are living under the strictest epidemic prevention restrictions.
How to spend the upcoming Christmas has become a hot topic in Britain in recent days.
The British Daily Mail said on the 16th that government sources revealed that the British government is considering allowing up to three families to get together from December 23 to 27 – they can get together at home and stay overnight, and meet in outdoor public places such as places of worship and parks.
Travel restrictions will also be temporarily lifted during the festival, so that people around the UK can reunite with their families.
However, with the recent discovery of mutant coronavirus in the United Kingdom, new cases are on a surge, and the plan to relax epidemic prevention restrictions for Christmas has caused strong controversy in the medical community.
The British Medical Association asked government officials to reconsider the Christmas epidemic prevention regulations, and two top British medical journals also published a rare editorial against the government’s exceptional relaxation of restrictions for the Christmas holiday.
According to the British Guardian on the 15th, the British Medical Journal and the Journal of Health Service criticized that the “reckless” decision made by the British government would be “another major mistake that killed many people”.
They urged the government to cancel the plan immediately and review and strengthen the current epidemic prevention measures.
Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary of the United Kingdom, also believes that the government should consider changing the holiday epidemic prevention plan, otherwise the national health system will face “very, very dangerous and uncertain situations” after the holiday.
In the face of many objections, the British government is not prepared to change its mind, but only gives some “safe holiday advice”, such as urging people to minimize travel during the festival and think twice when they want to visit high-risk people such as the elderly.
