Boris Johnson considers locking down more of England to curb coronavirus variant

Police patrol in the nearly deserted Covent Garden area in London on Dec 21, 2020. PHOTO: NYTIMES

LONDON (BLOOMBERG) - Mr Boris Johnson's government is examining whether to move more areas of England into lockdown to counter a faster-spreading variant of coronavirus.

Ministers are considering whether to apply the highest Tier 4 restrictions - forcing non-essential shops and leisure facilities to close - to more regions, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Ministers and scientific experts met late Tuesday (Dec 22) after cases of the new Covid-19 strain were identified outside London and south-east England, which were placed into Tier 4 last weekend.

The Sun newspaper first reported the meeting and said an announcement on the new tier designations could come as soon as Wednesday and take effect on Dec 26, without saying where it obtained the information.

Applying an effective lockdown more widely will be a significant blow to Mr Johnson.

He has faced criticism of the government's handling of the pandemic, most recently over a U-turn on his plan to significantly relax social-distancing rules over Christmas. A surge in cases forced that reversal, and more than 16 million Britons are now required to stay at home.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Sunday the new strain of the coronavirus is "out of control" and suggested the parts of England placed into the Tier 4 would have to stay at the level until a vaccine has been rolled out.

Speaking alongside Mr Johnson at a press conference Monday, Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said more regions will face tighter restrictions with the new coronavirus variant likely to spread across the country.

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