Londoners gathered on trains and motorways on Saturday night as they hurried to leave the capital ahead of new restrictions announced by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson announced that London and large parts of the south-east of England will be subject to Tier 4 Covid-19 restrictions on Sunday.
Level 4 is the highest level of restrictions in England, effectively updating the lock seen in the Spring.
By 7pm on Saturday afternoon, there were no free seats on trains leaving London from several stations in the capital, PA News Agency reports. Passengers complained that they were unable to socialize within the train carriages.
The scenes have been criticized by politicians and public health experts. London Mayor Sadiq Khan called the introduction of the restrictions “disastrous” in an interview with the BBC, saying that views at London railway stations were “a direct result of the chaotic manner in which they were called, and the late stage of production.
I understand why people want to come back to see their mothers, fathers, old relatives, but I think that it is wrong, “he said.
Speaking directly to Londoners who had left London, he said that while they may not have broken the rules, they may have taken the virus out of London and could “your mother, your father, old relatives ”.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA) council, said such scenes would not be seen “in East Asian countries that have managed pandemics well in the past,” adding. added that the government should ensure that population control measures.
“While Christmas is likely to be a nightmare for many, it is the worst that we could suffer for our loved ones,” he told Sky News.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has defended government actions on Sky, saying they had no choice but to give new scientific evidence that a new strain of the virus was spreading faster than others. in the UK.
“We had a responsibility to get involved,” he said. “We acted swiftly and decisively with what the Prime Minister announced yesterday. “
New snoring: England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, warned on Saturday that a new variant of Covid-19 may “spread faster” than previous strains of the virus.
“This is now spreading very fast,” Johnson warned. “I say with a heavy heart that we cannot continue with Christmas as planned. “
Like other newer versions or series of Covid-19, this one has genetic fingerprints that make it easy to find, and it seems to be common now. That does not mean that the mutation has spread more easily, and that does not necessarily mean that this mutation is more dangerous.
Read more here.