2nd nationwide lockdown remains nuclear option against Covid-19 – UK Foreign Secretary Raab

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said a second national lockdown may be required as a last measure against Covid-19. But he stressed that it will be avoided if everyone follows the rules.

Kay Burley of Sky News asked Raab about the arsenal of measures the government is prepared to enact to fight Covid-19. Raab replied: “The reality is they will be more intrusive or could end up in a national lockdown,” but “that is what we want to avoid.”

When asked again about the possibility of a second nationwide lockdown, Raab said: “We can’t rule it out.”

If we take these measures and if everyone plays by the rules, and we go into Christmas not needing to go into that national lockdown with all the impact on society and families but also the damage it would do to businesses.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced a 10pm curfew for bars and pubs and tougher social distancing regulation as part of the latest efforts to curb the recent uptick in Covid-19 cases. Similar measures were unveiled by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who also announced strict restrictions on household visits.

The UK went into a nationwide lockdown in late March when the country was first hit by the coronavirus. The government then began relaxing restrictions throughout the summer with pubs and other businesses being gradually allowed to reopen.

Johnson started encouraging people to get back to work in offices in July as opposed to working from home. However, the rate of infection has surged in recent weeks, forcing the government to revert back to its original ‘stay home’ message.

As of Wednesday, the UK has had more than 400,000 Covid-19 cases, according to the European Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control. A total of 41,825 people have died in Britain, more than in any other European nation.

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