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A TWO-WEEK DELAY to the planned easing of restrictions in England on 21 June is reportedly being considered after the number of people in the country with Covid-19 rose by 75%.
Multiple reports have also suggested plans to lift restrictions could be scaled down, with social distancing and the wearing of face coverings set to continue amid concerns the Indian variant is fueling a surge in cases.
The UK on Friday recorded its highest number of new confirmed coronavirus cases – 6,238 – since late March, according to official figures.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also suggested the number of people who had the virus in England has increased by around three quarters in a week, taking it to its highest tally since mid-April, with the R value between 1 and 1.2.
According to the Telegraph, a two-week delay to the final stage of Boris Johnson’s road map will be used to accelerate second jabs for over-40s, moving from a 12 to eight-week gap between doses, echoing the practise that is already in place for over-50s.
Those aged over 25 will also be offered their first doses from next week, the newspaper said.
It comes as laboratory data from the Francis Crick Institute backed up a policy of reducing the gap between jabs.
The study found that after just one dose of the Pfizer jab, people are less likely to develop antibody levels against the Indian (B.1.617.2) variant, also known as Delta, as high as those seen against the previously dominant Kent variant, which has been dubbed Alpha.
Dr Rosalind Eggo, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (Spi-M) Government advisory panel, said with “very early evidence” showing that the current vaccines on offer “don’t work quite as well against the Delta variant”, it was important to increase the rate of second jabs.
“Getting those second doses up, pushing that number up as high as possible is really important,” she told BBC’s Newsnight.
Pushing back by a fortnight the plans to lift all restrictions in order to allow more adults to be fully vaccinated could see so-called “freedom day” delayed until July 5.
In a move already being lambasted by night-time economy chiefs, the i said it would likely see the Government backtrack on encouraging a return to the workplace, continue with the guidance to work from home if possible, and is also likely to continue with the policy of mask wearing and social distancing on public transport.
The newspaper also said social distancing in bars and restaurants is likely to remain, along with limits on audiences in theatres and cinemas.
In Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed he is considering keeping social-distancing restrictions in place for the rest of 2021, calling the two-metre measure “one of the strongest defences that we have” against the virus.
But Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said keeping social distancing in place would threaten the viability of the sector.
“Sorry but leaving social distancing in place in pubs, restaurants, hotels and attractions means that June 21 is not freedom date at all,” she tweeted.
“It means that those businesses continue to operate at a loss and threatens the long term viability of businesses, jobs and the recovery.”
Sacha Lord, night time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, said he was “up for a fight” over the possible shift.
“Hospitality is the fifth biggest industry in the UK – June 21 is make or break for many,” he said on social media.
No 10 sources said suggestions of a delay to the road map was “speculation”, with the Prime Minister telling broadcasters this week there was still “nothing in the data at the moment that means we cannot go ahead with Step 4”.
The Health Secretary said the Government “always expected cases to rise” as lockdown was eased, and that ministers were being “tough” on international travel rules to preserve the route out of lockdown in the UK by preventing new variants from taking hold.
Matt Hancock said vaccines had not managed to completely sever the link between infections and people ending up in hospital but that it was not yet possible to determine whether the Indian variant increased the risk of ending up on a hospital ward.
“That’s one of the things that we’re watching very carefully, and it’s too early to say what the decision will be ahead of June 21, but we’ll make sure people know in good time,” Mr Hancock told reporters on Friday.
Analysis by the PA news agency shows the majority of major hospital trusts in England are currently continuing to average no Covid-19 admissions despite rising case numbers, with 50% of the population now fully-vaccinated.
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Are charges ever brought against these drivers?
Licence points?
Fines?
Almost every week I get delayed on the Dart due to a bridge strike and it affects 100′s of other commuters too. I would like to know that something is being done.
@Conor Loney: And who takes the blame when the bridge height is lower than than what the sign says?
@Roy Dowling: what bridge is out there thats lower than the sign says .because if thats the case, if you hit the bridge with the right height vehicle for that bridge you could sue the ass off the company
@Roy Dowling: The council engineer who actually measured it in the first place with a steel measuring tape is whipped in his underwear with the aforementioned offending tape until he admits wrongdoing, and then he is forced to wear a sandwich board saying “I am a mathematically illiterate idiot” for a week on the platform of the station.
@Roy Dowling:
Surely you have evidence of this?
@Conor Loney: he was that engineer!
@Roy Dowling: don’t think that happens very often
Laser level on bridge that sets off banks of red flashing lights when a high vehicle approaches.
@Clancy: Belay that competence! Such logical suggestions would never get past SIPTU
“er ouar membars are bein asked to perferm duties dat are outside der contract dere now, so derz gonna have te be an allowance written inte de contract for dah, or else we’ll strike”
@Ryan Carroll: your SIPTU is coming along excellently, though I note you failed to use the % increase phrase. Good work all the same, keep it up and you’ll have many a free dinner ahead.
@Brown Boots: He could throw in a few more “comrades” too.
Surely a type of say limbo bar of same height should be placed on aproach to such bridges. ( as in a fixed bar. Not one that will fall down if truck strkes it. ) Exactly like the ones as you enter some car parks to stop caravans and the likes entering.
@The Viking: but you’d have lads limbo-ing under on the way home from the pub. Also boss, why bring our heritage into it!
@The Viking: I’m afraid you’re very much mistaken. Those bars are not to stop caravans from entering, since such measures would be discriminatory against a minority population in this country. What they are actually are bars for breeding crows to hang out on and find a mate for the breeding season. Although I believe starlings have been know to use them from time to time too – cheeky little monkeys.
Surprised someone hasn’t yet developed an APP to warn drivers they’re approaching a non negotiable bridge.
@Emmet Dillane: They have, it’s called eyesight!
@Emmet Dillane: They have – they’re called road signs. You should keep an eye out for them – they big and yellow and shaped like a diamond.
@Emmet Dillane:
And would the APP be installed on a phone. And what happens if the driver changes vehicle to one which is higher. Onus on the person to change the App setting? If they forget to do this would this create a new problem in which drivers rely on an APP and ignore the road signs? Possible creating more collisions with bridges
@Nick Allen:
All perfectly manageable Nick.
@Emmet Dillane:
Nearly as manageable as getting the driver to read the height sign on every bridge in the country. Should there be an APP for all street signs and should we remove them all?
This subject is brought up regularly on the Journal after each bridge hit and the bars the same height as the bridge and so many meters from each side are usually suggested so why don’t they get the finger out and implement this cheap solution.
@winston smith:
Cheap solution?
How many bridges in Ireland?
Design of said structure?
Cost of manufacture?
Are they vandal proof?
Cost of installation?
Ongoing maintenance and replacement?
Update rules of road
Update driving theory test
Update driving test
A train is delayed and this is national news?? LOL!
@Kieran Conroy:
The journal is a web APP so technically this is global news as opposed to national
“We could be lifted, lifted, lifted. Oh, we could be lifted…” (Lighthouse Family.)
…sighed the bridge.
It really is ridiculous the amount of times the trains are delayed due to bridge strike. I would have thought every truck driver should be well aware of height restrictions on their route. I had something pointed out to me recently though which I never really noticed. In a lot of cases by the time you see the height of the bridge it is too late. After it was pointed out to me I kept an eye open as well and did notice that in some cases you will only see the height of the bridge ON the actual bridge but not before and then there is no way around. We do have a hell of a lot of bridges and I cannot understand why there is no driving app out there which truck drivers can use to calculate the route and which takes into account low bridges and roads with weight restrictions
@sue: bridge strike…train strike… what’s the difference?
I interviewed one of the chiefs in the NRA many year ago as part of a Uni dissertation that I was doing for on bridge management in Ireland, and One of the issue here is that nobody ( Gov depts) wants to manage these existing Bridges because they don’t have the budget to do so. Also there is a debate on who should manage the bridge, whether it is Irish Rail, Local Council or NRA or Waterways Ireland. Political debates as usual.
Use tunnel safety technology
have your say