World

England with new general confinement

Jan 6, 2021 England

The country is going into lockdown to try to avoid further pressure to an NHS already challenging its limits. This is the third confinement since the outbreak of COVID-19 back in March 2020. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are also implementing similar measures

England will enter the third national confinement, as announced by the British Prime Minister on the 4^th of January. In total, about 56 million people will go back to lockdown for six weeks, until mid-February. This is another attempt by the Government to fight the growth in the number of new cases of COVID-19 as the NHS is already struggling with the pressure on hospitals across the country.

Boris Johnson justified the measure with the "critical moment" that the country is going through, noting the "alarming rate" with which the disease is spreading. The new variant of the virus is between 50% and 70% more contagious, which demands stronger measures to contain the spread.

In this new confinement, people will have to stay at home and can only go out for some essential reasons, which include:
- Work or volunteering where it is "unreasonable" to work from home (social workers, nannies, cleaners and tradespeople, for example);
- Education, training, childcare and medical appointments and emergencies;
- Exercise outdoors (limited to once a day);
- Shopping for essentials such as food and medicine;
- Communal religious worship:
- Meeting your support or childcare bubble. Children can also move between separated parents;
- Activities related to moving house.

International travel, or travel around the UK is not permitted, except if taking place for essential reasons. Hospitality businesses such as pubs and restaurants and non-essential shops must close, as must indoor and outdoor sports facilities including gyms and tennis courts. Primary and secondary schools will move to online learning for all pupils apart from vulnerable and keyworker children.

Essential businesses and services can stay open to the public, which includes: Supermarkets, food shops, pharmacies and garden centers; Places of worship; Petrol stations and MOT services; Laundrettes; Banks and post offices; Doctors and dentists' surgeries and vets; Car parks, public toilets and playgrounds.