Boris Johnson faces calls to implement 'circuit breaker' national lockdown to control the virus

The Prime Minister has been urged to enforce a ‘circuit breaker’ national lockdown in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, as pressure mounts from advisers and opposition parties.
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Boris Johnson has been called to consider a tighter national lockdown in the face of figures suggesting local measures to contain the spread of coronavirus were not working.

Professor Calum Semple, a member of the Government’s scientific advisory panel who specialises in disease outbreaks, recommended a “circuit breaker” be considered on a national basis in a bid to slow the virus, rather than trying to reduce it at a later stage.

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He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “perhaps a circuit breaker a couple of weeks ago would have been a really good idea”.

The Prime Minister has faced fresh pressure to consider a tighter national lockdown following the latest figures which implied local measures to contain the virus were ineffective.The Prime Minister has faced fresh pressure to consider a tighter national lockdown following the latest figures which implied local measures to contain the virus were ineffective.
The Prime Minister has faced fresh pressure to consider a tighter national lockdown following the latest figures which implied local measures to contain the virus were ineffective.

Professor Semple said: “It’s always easier to reduce an outbreak at the earlier stage than to let it run and then try to reduce it at a later stage.

“So, yes, circuit breakers are certainly something we should be thinking about on a national basis.”

According to the Government’s coronavirus dashboard, there were 2,783 patients with Covid-19 in hospitals in England and 349 patients on ventilators as of Tuesday.

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The number of those admitted to English hospitals on Sunday – the most recent day for which the figures are available – was 478, almost double the figure seven days previously.

The figures for hospital admissions and patients on ventilators in England are the highest since June.

Case numbers have risen sharply in recent weeks, with 14,542 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK as of 9am on Tuesday. A fortnight ago, on September 22, there were 4,926 cases recorded.

Mr Johnson hinted that tougher measures could be needed in the capital and the Midlands.

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“I wish I could pretend that everything was going to be rosy in the Midlands or indeed in London where, alas, we are also seeing infections rise,” he said, as he called for a “concerted national effort”.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said 19 of the 20 areas subjected to local measures for two months had seen infection rates increase.

The Labour leader questioned why constituencies such as Mr Johnson’s were spared extra curbs while northern seats with similar levels of coronavirus were hit with restrictions.

“The Prime Minister can’t explain why an area goes into restrictions, he can’t explain what the different restrictions are, and he can’t explain how restrictions end,” Sir Keir Starmer said.

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Boris Johnson insisted the Government would “continue with our package to suppress the virus not just nationally but locally and regionally as well”.

The leaders of Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle City Councils – Judith Blake, Sir Richard Leese and Nick Forbes – joined Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson in writing to Health Secretary Matt Hancock to say they are “extremely concerned” about the rise in cases.

“The existing restrictions are not working, confusing for the public and some, like the 10pm rule, are counter-productive,” the Labour politicians wrote.

They called for additional powers to punish those who break rules, for new restrictions to be developed by police, council and public health experts, and for a locally-controlled Test and Trace system.

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“We want to be clear, however, that we do not support further economic lockdowns,” the leaders added.

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