Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told MPs in the House of Commons on Tuesday lunchtime that “we must act now” in order to avoid “graver consequences” over coronavirus.
He said the British people used “common sense” with “fortitude” to avert an even worse catastrophe by the spring lockdown.
He said, “but we always knew” there would be “the prospect of a second wave was real.
“I’m sorry to say, we’ve reached a perilous turning point.”
In a grim statement to the Commons he told MPs that the number of daily new coronavirus infections has now quadrupled within a month.
Without action now there will be hundreds of deaths per day in November, and new cases are growing the fastest in age groups from 20 to 29-years old, and he warned that coronavirus is now spreading to “more vulnerable” age groups.
Johnson said, “this is the moment where we must act.”
He said that this is not a return back to the full lockdown we saw in spring, so we are not telling people to stay at home, and officers workers that can work from home, should do so.
From Thursday this week all pubs, bars and restaurants will only operate a table service only, with the exception of takeaways and all these venues will be forced to close.
He added, “I’m sorry, but we must act” now.
He warned that Covid guidelines will also become a legal obligation to all Brits. From Monday, 28 September only 15 people will be allowed to attend a wedding, receptions, and 30 people will be allowed to attend a funeral.
He warned that these new restrictions could be in place to up to six months.
For people that wish to break the rule of six, or failing to wear a face covering the penalty will now double to £200, and he further warned that the military could be drafted in as and where required to help the police.
The Prime Minister told MPs that areas which are in lockdown will be kept under “constant review”, and warned that it the R number does not fall after these new measure have been imposed, then Johnson will “deploy greater firepower with significantly greater restrictions.”
He warned that it is “tempting to hope the threat has faded and seek comfort in the belief you have avoided the virus so far so are somehow immune.
“But that type of complacency could be our undoing.”
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