The announcement seemed inevitable as the health situation had deteriorated in recent weeks.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Saturday, October 31, the return to lockdown across England in the face of a massive second wave of coronavirus infections, which threatens to saturate health services.
The British government has decided to reconfine England from Thursday until December 2 in order to contain the second wave of the new coronavirus which threatens to overwhelm hospitals.
However, as in France, schools will remain open.
"The virus is spreading even faster than in the worst case scenario established by our scientific advisers. (...) It is time to act like there is no choice," said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Saturday at a press conference.
This measure does not apply to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with confinement falling to the authorities of each British province.
A turnaround for Boris Johnson
The most bereaved country in Europe, the United Kingdom has recorded a total of 46,555 deaths that occurred within 28 days of being screened positive for Covid-19, including 326 in the last 24 hours.
The announcement marks a turnaround for Boris Johnson, who has so far resisted calls to reconfigure all of England, even for a short period of two to three weeks, as suggested by the opposition Labor Party.
Confined in one block on March 23 during the first wave, the United Kingdom then favored a local approach.
In England, a three-level alert level determines the restrictions imposed on each region.
Several European countries including Ireland, France and Belgium have announced full or partial re-containments to curb the spread of the virus.
With Reuters and AFP
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