UK: Johnson Appeals for Unity as England Enters New Lockdown

By Staff- Agencies

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday called for a united effort to tackle spiking coronavirus infection rates, as 56 million people in England went into a second lockdown but with the public weary of restrictions and fearing for their livelihoods.

Renewed stay-at-home restrictions and business closures are set to last for four weeks yet have been met with skepticism that they can halt the worst death toll from the virus in Europe.

"While it pains me to have to ask once again for so many to give up so much, I know that, together, we can get through this," said Johnson, whose government sets health policy in England.

He further stated: "We can do this, we will do this by December 2^nd”, promising that compliance could see people enjoy "as normal a Christmas as possible".

The Bank of England unveiled an extra £150 billion [$195 billion] in economic support, on top of new Treasury measures to subsidize the wages of furloughed workers until March 2021.

Johnson said the package showed his government will "continue to support people affected by these new restrictions".

The government also announced passengers arriving in Britain from Germany and Sweden must self-isolate for 14 days from 0400 GMT Saturday, the latest countries removed from its coronavirus travel list.

Concerns are mounting about the impact on the economy and mental health, and dozens of lawmakers in Johnson's ruling Conservative party rebelled against the new measures during a vote in parliament Wednesday.

To avoid extending the lockdown, he is pinning his hopes on an ambitious new program of Covid testing to detect and isolate infected people, starting with a city-wide trial launching in Liverpool on Friday.

Around 2,000 military personnel are being mobilized to help in the pilot, which will identify positive cases even in people without symptoms.