LONDON – England’s one-month ban announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson this weekend could be extended as Britain struggles to capture the second wave of the COVID-19 epidemic, a senior cabinet member said on Sunday.
Johnson announced Saturday that the closure of England would begin at midnight Thursday morning until December 2.
The United Kingdom, which has the highest death toll in Europe since COVID-19, is battling more than 20,000 new cases of coronavirus a day and scientists have warned of a staggering 80,000 dead condition.
To date, it has reported COVID-19 deaths of 46,555 – defined as those who die within 28 days of positive testing. The overall proportion of those with COVID-19 on their death certificates puts the figure at 58,925.
Asked if the ban could be extended before December, Prime Minister Michael Gove told: “Yes.”
“We can clearly say that unless we take action now, (health officials) will be frustrated in ways that none of us could have faced.”
Some parts of the United Kingdom – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – have their own policies and set strict health limits for COVID-19 last month.
First Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Saturday he was determined to continue tightening the rules where necessary.
Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labor Party, said the government had lost a golden opportunity to properly shut down England when schools were on half a month off.
“Well, that’s gone now. That is the price of inefficiency of the government, ”Starmer told the BBC.