Sharjah24 – AFP: A rise in cases of the Indian coronavirus variant could "pose serious disruption" to Britain's reopening plans, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Friday.
England will take the next step of reopening on Monday as planned, but the final stage, currently scheduled for June 21, could be in doubt. "I do not believe we need to delay our roadmap," said Johnson.
But, "this new variant could pose a serious disruption to our progress," he said, adding "We will do whatever it takes to keep the public safe." The health ministry said the B1.617.2 variant is "beginning to spread increasingly rapidly" in northwest England and to a lesser extent in London, "and decisive action is being taken to further control its spread".
Second doses of vaccines will be accelerated for the over-50s and the clinically vulnerable in a bid to keep the strain at bay, Johnson told the press briefing. Surge testing and possible local restrictions are also in the mix after infections of the variant rose from 520 last week to 1,313 this week, officials said.
The government is waiting on data that will indicate if the new variant is more transmissible than other strains currently circulating before deciding on its next step, said Johnson. Scientists believe it is more transmissible, but are unsure of by how much, revealed Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty. If only slightly, the country will reopen as planned, said Johnson.
But if there is evidence of uncontrollable spread and the threat of increased pressure on NHS then more restrictions are likely, he added.
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