Boris Johnson clashes with Andrew Marr in coronavirus debate
Covid-19 cases have reached record levels and are still on the rise, fuelled by a new and more transmissible variant of the killer virus. Britain recorded 57,725 new cases of the virus yesterday and with more than 74,000 deaths so far during the pandemic the Government’s response has been heavily criticised. Much of England is already living under the toughest level of restrictions set out in the four-tier system of regional measures designed to stop the spread of the virus and protect the NHS.
It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country
Under Tier 4 restrictions, non-essential shops, hairdressers and leisure and entertainment venues are not allowed to open for business and people are urged to “stay at home” unless they need to travel for work or education.
Households are not allowed to mix but one person is allowed to meet with one other person outside in a public space.
Tier 4 residents must not stay overnight away from home and are banned from travelling abroad.
But Mr Johnson has admitted there were concerns Tier 4 restrictions may not be enough to bring the pandemic under control and warned restrictions “alas, might be about to get tougher”.
Would you support Tier 5 lockdown measures? (Image: FLICKR)
He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show he was “fully reconciled” to a probable tightening of the anti-covid measures.
He said: “It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country. I’m fully, fully reconciled to that.
“There are obviously a range of tougher measures that we would have to consider.
“I’m not going to speculate now about what they would be, but I’m sure that all our viewers and our listeners will understand what the sort of things.
“Clearly school closures, which we had to do in March, is one of those things.”
READ MORE: Boris Johnson warns UK could face even TOUGHER measures as cases soar
Boris Johnson told Andrew Marr he was ‘reconciled’ to toughening covid restrictions (Image: BBC)
Much of the country is already under the stricter Tier 4 restrictions (Image: PA)
Speaking as millions of children prepare to go back to their classrooms after the Christmas holidays, Mr Johnson said schools were safe and urged parents to send their children back in areas where rules allow it.
He said: “There is no doubt in my mind that schools are safe, and that education is a priority.”
Mr Johnson said a mass vaccine programme was the way out of the current tier system.
He said: “What we are doing now is using the tiering system, which is a very tough system and, alas, probably about to get tougher to keep things under control. But, we will review it.
“And we have the prospect of vaccines coming down the track in their tens of millions.
“And that, I think, is something that should keep people going in what I predicted, back on your show in October, will be a very bumpy period right now.
“It is bumpy and it’s going to be bumpy.”
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UK coronavirus cases (Image: EXPRESS.CO.UK)
England’s four tier system (Image: EXPRESS.CO.UK)
Professor Sir Mark Walport, who is a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said it was “pretty clear” tougher restrictions were needed.
Asked if Tier 4 measures were enough, the former chief scientific adviser said: “It’s the Tier 4 restrictions, it’s obeying them.
“It is thinking about breaking essentially every possible route of transmission we possibly can.
“Those are the things that are absolutely necessary and it is pretty clear we’re going to need more.”
