The Health Secretary Matt Hancock has claimed the new strain of COVID-19 is out of control and people need to behave as if they already have the virus, especially those living in the new Tier 4 areas of England.
Mr Hancock said everybody was looking forward to Christmas, but the new mutant strain “was out of control” and the government acted “very quickly and decisively”.
The five-day Christmas bubble period has been reduced to just Christmas Day for England, Wales and Scotland, it was also scrapped completely for areas in England under new Tier 4 rules however remains in Northern Ireland.
Speaking on Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday Mr Hancock said: “Everybody, particularly people in Tier 4 areas, needs to behave as if they might well have the virus – that is the only way we are going to get it under control.”
He said the nation faces an “enormous challenge” controlling the new strain of COVID-19 and it is “more important now than ever” that people stick to the rules and reduce social contact “because this is deadly serious”.
“This is a deadly disease, we need to keep it under control, and it has been made more difficult by this new variant.”
When the Health Secretary was asked why the Prime Minister announced the Christmas relaxation rules weeks ago, he said: “Because we understand, I understand, how important Christmas is to people.”
Despite the Prime Minister promise to the nation, Mr Hancock said ministers had no choice but to act after being presented with the new scientific evidence on Friday afternoon.
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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