It now looks possible that the UK’s easing of lockdown restrictions to allow clubs and music venues to reopen could be postponed.
At the moment the date planned for easing of restrictions is planned for the 21st of June, and on that date, clubs would reopen without attendees needing to wear a mask or socially distance.
According to a report by The Times it now looks possible that there will be a delay. In reference to the lifting of restrictions, they reported that a government source said, it could be delayed sometime between “two weeks and a month.”
The Times also reference a further source saying a delay made more sense than causing confusion with a partial lifting of restrictions.
Members of the UK government were involved in a “downbeat” briefing where some raised concerns about the transmission rate of new COVID-19 strains, and the possibility of the vaccine is not able to give 100% protection.
England’s chief medical officer, Chris Witty, and the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance both shared the latest pandemic data with the rest of the government. Experts who viewed the data expressed reservations regarding the current timescale of the lifting of restrictions.
The UK recorded over 5,600 new COVID-19 cases on Monday the 7th of May, which has significantly risen from the recent low of around 1,350 infections that was logged at the start of the month.
It’s possible that easing restrictions might be delayed until all of the UK’s over 50s are fully vaccinated, and there has been enough time for the injections to take effect.
So far, about 40.4 million people in the UK have received their first vaccination, which is about 76.8% of the country’s adult population, but only 27.9 million have currently received their second injection.
Since the start of the pandemic, the UK has recorded around 128,000 deaths that are linked to COVID-19.
H/T: The Times
