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Epidemics

UK Government Eases Lockdown Restrictions for Christmas

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that the country's lockdown will be eased for Christmas, allowing fans to return to sports stadiums and theatres, and permitting families to gather. The measures will be relaxed across Britain for several days around Christmas to allow families to spend time together.

Key Takeaways:

  • The UK lockdown will end on December 2 in England, and the country will return to a three-tiered system of regional restrictions.
  • The measures in each tier have been toughened somewhat, and more parts of the country are expected to be included in Tier 3, which limits pubs and restaurants to takeout orders.
  • Stores will be allowed to open in all tiers, and patrons can return to stadiums and theatres - as many as 4,000 for outdoor events and 1,000 indoors - in regions under Tier 1 and 2 restrictions.
  • The government will announce the geographic distribution of tiers later this week.
  • Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have already introduced tighter regional measures.
  • The government is ramping up rapid testing to reduce the time people have to spend in quarantine.
  • The British government has ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and has been informed by researchers that the vaccine is up to 90-per-cent effective in trials.

Statistics:

  • 40,000 new cases of COVID-19 reported each day in the UK
  • Number of people in hospital with COVID-19 remains high
  • 700 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine expected to be manufactured by the end of March
  • 3 billion doses expected to be manufactured next year
  • Vaccine production capacity of Moderna and Pfizer combined: 2 billion doses next year
  • 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine ordered by the British government
  • Up to 90-per-cent effectiveness of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in trials

Sources:

  • BORIS JOHNSON, British Prime Minister, speech to the House of Commons, [1]
  • ANDREW POLLARD, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, [2]
  • PASCAL SORIOT, AstraZeneca chief executive, [3]
  • THE GLOBE AND MAIL, "UK government eases lockdown restrictions for Christmas", [4]

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