By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
England has declared a four-week lockdown following a sudden rise in cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.
Britain’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced this as other European nations like Slovakia have started one-on-one testing of all its citizens of the pandemic for the second time.
AFP had reported that global infections were fast approaching 46 million, with close to 1.2 million deaths, and Europe was experiencing a dizzying spike in COVID-19 cases.
Under-pressure governments on the continent are scrambling to contain the outbreaks, with the reimposition of restrictions sparking widespread exasperation and sometimes violent protests.
“Now is the time to take action because there’s no alternative,” Johnson said.
“We have got to be humble in the face of nature. In this country, alas, as in much of Europe, the virus is spreading even faster than the reasonable worst-case scenario of our scientific advisers.”
Under the new lockdown, planned to start on Thursday and end on December 2, 2020, England’s population must stay at home except when exemptions apply, such as for work, education or exercise, while all but essential shops will close.
The devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have already imposed partial lockdowns.
Britain’s infections surged past one million on Saturday, according to AFP report.
Just minutes after Johnson, Portugal’s Prime Minister, Antonio Costa, announced a partial lockdown with 70 percent of the population going back under restrictions.
Also on Saturday, Austria brought in a second lockdown of its own, while Greece declared a partial one.
The new measures came just a day after France started its second lockdown and Belgium said that it would tighten its measures.
Italy has also already reintroduced some restrictions.
This time around in Europe, there have been sometimes-violent protests against the measures.
“This city will go bust. There will be nothing left of it,” Roger Stenson, a 73-year-old pensioner in Nottingham, said ahead of Britain’s lockdown announcement, echoing widespread concerns about the economic impact.
“You know, closed shops… There will just be nothing left of it, that’s the problem.”
