No more meetings of thirty people.

From Monday (September 14th), rallies in England will be limited to ten, the British government reported on Tuesday (September 8th).

This new limit, intended to stem the rise in Covid-19 cases, will apply "to indoor and outdoor gatherings, in private housing, outdoor public spaces and places like pubs and restaurants ", said the services of Prime Minister Boris Johnson before a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

The government thus wishes "to act now to prevent the virus from spreading," the statement said.

"We are simplifying and strengthening the rules on social contacts to make them easier to understand and apply for the police," he said.

This measure does not apply to households of more than six people, schools, workplaces, weddings, funerals or team sports organized in accordance with sanitary regulations.

Violators face a fine of 100 pounds sterling (around 100 euros), which will be doubled for each repeat offense to a maximum of 3,200 pounds.

Local reconfinements

The United Kingdom is the most bereaved country in Europe with more than 41,500 dead.

Each of the four constituent nations decides on its own sanitary measures, the government of London being competent only for England.

Local re-containments have already been put in place to contain outbreaks of the Covid-19 disease, in order to avoid a new containment at the national level, devastating for the economy.

In Bolton (north-west of England), restrictions were tightened on Tuesday due to a sharp rise in contamination, especially among people in their twenties and thirties.

With 120 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, this city in the north-west of England has "the highest incidence rate in the country", Minister of Health Matt Hancock told the House of Commons.

Number of positive cases on the rise

While the number of deaths from the virus is the lowest since March, the number of new positive cases is on the rise, as in other countries in Europe.

It hit 2,460 on Tuesday - one of the highest levels recorded since May - bringing the total to 352,560.

The British government will also launch a media information campaign on Wednesday to raise public awareness as winter approaches the importance of washing hands, wearing a mask and respecting social distancing.

For its part, Wales put in place its first local containment on Tuesday, banning entry and exit, without a valid excuse, from Caerphilly County at least until October.

With AFP

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