UK on Alert Over 'Corona Variant': "Cannot Rule Out Nationwide Lockdown"

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Hana Na] British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has left open the possibility of a nationwide lockdown as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) resurges.

According to British media including The Guardian, on the 24th (local time), during a briefing, Prime Minister Johnson was asked whether a nationwide lockdown after Christmas could be ruled out. He responded, "Clearly, we are facing very serious pressure."

He emphasized, "Considering the new virus variant and its rate of spread, we must contain this virus now to prevent it from spiraling out of control next month."

He continued, "We need to buy time to vaccinate as many elderly and vulnerable people as possible," adding, "The past few weeks have been very difficult, and challenging times will continue."

The newspaper reported that Johnson did not rule out the possibility of a nationwide lockdown.

As of the 24th, the daily COVID-19 death toll in the UK has risen to 574, with nearly 40,000 new confirmed cases, indicating a very severe spread of the virus.

In particular, the coronavirus variant known as 'VUI-202012/01' has emerged in the UK, causing a rapid increase in confirmed cases. Although this virus does not affect fatality rates or vaccine efficacy, it is analyzed to be 70% more transmissible than the existing COVID-19 and infects children more easily.

In response, Johnson raised the COVID-19 alert level to the highest, Level 4, last weekend for London and the southeast of England.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.