UK risks new lockdown as Covid cases hit highest since May
Around 6,000 people a day in England alone probably caught the disease during the week. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Britain is likely to need to reintroduce some national coronavirus lockdown measures sooner rather than later, a leading epidemiologist said on Saturday, as new cases rose to their highest level since early May.
Neil Ferguson, a professor of epidemiology at London’s Imperial College and a former government adviser, told the BBC the country was facing a “perfect storm” of rising infections as people return to work and school.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that he did not want another national lockdown but that new restrictions may be needed because the country was facing an “inevitable” second wave of Covid-19.
“I think some additional measures are likely to be needed sooner rather than later,” Ferguson said.
Ministers were on Friday reported to be considering a second national lockdown, with new Covid-19 cases already at their highest in months, hospital admissions rising and soaring infection rates across parts of northern England and London.
“Right now we’re at about the levels of infection we were seeing in this country in late February, and if we leave it another two to four weeks we’ll be back at levels we were seeing more back in mid-March, and that’s going to - or could - cause deaths,” Ferguson said.
Government data on Saturday showed 4,422 new cases, 100 more than on Friday and the highest daily total since May 8, based on positive test results.
The true rate of infection is likely to be higher. Britain’s statistics agency said on Friday that around 6,000 people a day in England alone probably caught the disease during the week to Sept 10, based on its random testing.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon asked Johnson to meet her and the leaders of the devolved governments of Wales and Northern Ireland within the next 48 hours to try to ensure coordinated measures across different parts of the United Kingdom.
“We know from experience earlier in the year that speed and decisiveness of action is important in the fight against Covid,” she said.