Tougher virus measures possible in coming weeks: Johnson

DPA, 03RD JANUARY, 2021
Tougher coronavirus measures could be implemented in coming weeks in view of the serious situation in Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson hinted in an interview 
on Sunday.

“It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country,” Johnson said on the BBC’s “Andrew Marr Show,” though he didn’t specify what they could be.

“I’m not going to speculate now about what they would be, but ... clearly school closures, which we had to do in March is one of those things,” Johnson said. The tiered system is “probably about to get tougher” even despite the roll-out of vaccines, added the premier.

The country is following a tiered system based on infection levels, under which many people already live under harsh restrictions.

Schools in London will remain closed for the time being after the Christmas holidays, though in other parts of the country, primary schools will open on Monday, followed in the weeks after by secondary schools. “Schools are safe,” stressed Johnson again on Sunday.

Britain registered a record number of new infections on Saturday, many of which are attributed to a possibly more contagious virus strain that is particularly rampant in the British capital, London.