政三A 07114149 賴星瑋

London despairs at new Covid rules as northern England regions rebel

By Emma Reynolds, Zahid Mahmood and Phil Black, CNN

Updated 1152 GMT (1952 HKT) October 16, 2020

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/16/uk/london-coronavirus-restrictions-gbr-intl/index.html

 

London (CNN)Londoners have expressed confusion and doubt over coronavirus lockdown restrictions announced Thursday that will affect millions living in the city.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the capital would move from the Tier 1 "medium" alert to Tier 2 "high" alert level from Saturday, urging London residents to support government efforts to suppress the spread of the virus.

Pubs and restaurants already had a 10 p.m. curfew under Tier 1, but the new rules mean Londoners will be banned from mixing with other households indoors in any setting. Outdoor gatherings will be limited to six people and people are advised to avoid using public transport where possible.

 

Schools, places of worship and businesses can remain open, leading many to question the restrictions.

"I'm fed up," Rebecca Duncan, a 39-year-old from south London, told CNN. "It's like one thing starts to open up and life starts to seem slightly normal and then something else comes along and pushes us all back."

She called the new rules "ridiculous," saying she could still go to the gym, get a massage or sit next to strangers in a cafe but couldn't mix with anyone from another household.

Duncan said she supported businesses staying open, but she was having to cancel a meal out with five friends next week. "The restaurant will lose out, as will the taxis and trains and other associated businesses. Not being able to socialize will have a knock-on effect far greater to business -- I won't get my hair done, buy that new top, have a manicure."

 

Liverpool, in northwest England, was the only region placed in the "very high" Tier 3 alert level when Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed the three-tier Covid Alert system across the country on Wednesday. 

Tier 3 restrictions can vary but in Liverpool, pubs and bars must close unless they are operating as restaurants; gyms, betting shops and casinos must also close; weddings with more than 15 guests are not permitted, and people are advised to avoid traveling into or out of their local area where possible.

The county of Lancashire agreed to enter Tier 3 on Friday, but local leaders in the city of Manchester are locked in a standoff with the government after they rejected a move to put the area into the highest alert level.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said in a statement on Thursday that the government's "flawed and unfair strategy" was asking local authorities to "gamble our resident's jobs, homes and business and large chunk of our economy on a strategy that their own experts tell them might not work."

In a BBC interview on Friday morning, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urged Burnham "to do the right thing by the people of Manchester," accept the support package being offered by the government and move to Tier 3.

Calls for national lockdown

Johnson emphasized localized restrictions as he brought in the new system, rejecting opposition demands for a "circuit breaker" lockdown across England. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have different restrictions in place, with Wales refusing to allow travelers from coronavirus hotspots in other UK countries to cross its borders.

A preprint paper written by scientific advisers to the UK government said thousands of deaths could be averted before the end of the year if a two-week circuit breaker is imposed soon.

CNN asked local residents around Well Street Common, east London, for their views about the new Tier 2 restrictions.

 

心得：

英國疫情愈發嚴重,封鎖令的層級也隨之提高,雖然說是要預防疫情的擴散,可相對的也會讓經濟造成停擺,這就是目前政府兩難的地方,若精準地進行全國封鎖,的確可以有效降低冬季來臨病毒的殺傷力,不過顯然這是不切實際的,並不是所有國家都能向中國一樣進行全程封鎖,如何適度的借鑑中國的作法我想是英國目前需要做的.