London, Oct. 14, (dpa/GNA) – British opposition leader Keir Starmer on Tuesday called for a temporary lockdown to be imposed in England, as a new three-tier system was passed to identify the areas most at risk.
“We need a circuit breaker and we need it now,” Starmer said in London, referring to a limited lockdown similar to those in spring.
The lockdown would apply for two to three weeks, but schools would remain open, Starmer said, though it could be held during the schools’ half-term holidays.
Starmer said the national lockdown was needed to improve test and trace and to prevent a “sleepwalk into a long and bleak winter.”
The proposal is in line with suggestions from Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), a government advisory body that suggested such a lockdown three weeks ago, according to a protocol published on Monday.
Health experts have warned that otherwise, Britain is heading for a “large epidemic with catastrophic consequences.”
Starmer added that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was “no longer following the scientific advice” by proposing “far less stringent restrictions” than SAGE suggested.
On Monday, Johnson outlined a three-tier system for fresh restrictions on areas of England with rising coronavirus numbers: medium, high and very high.
The lower house of the British parliament in London voted on the new measures on Tuesday, with new restrictions due to apply the next day.
While health experts say these measures are insufficient, a government spokesperson called the measures “effective.”
Britain recorded 17,000 new cases in the past 24 hours, and 143 more deaths, the highest number seen since June.
GNA