“There are obviously a range of tougher measures that we would have to consider … I’m not going to speculate now about what they would be,” he said.
The opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said Johnson must implement a national lockdown within the next 24 hours.
“What we’ve learnt is that the longer you delay the difficult decisions, the worse it is on the health front, the worse it is on the economic front,” Starmer told reporters.
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson said tougher restrictions could be imposed. Credit:AP
Johnson sets policy for England, with rules in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales set by their devolved authorities.
Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon said her cabinet would meet on Monday to discuss possible further steps to limit the spread of the virus, and ordered Scotland’s parliament to be recalled.
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Britain recorded 54,990 new cases of the virus on Sunday and has registered more than 75,000 deaths from the pandemic.
The government’s response has been heavily criticised. But the rollout of vaccines is set to accelerate on Monday with the first 530,000 doses of the newly approved Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines ready to be administered, Johnson said.
He hoped “tens of millions” would be treated over the next three months.
Millions of pupils are due to return from their Christmas holidays on Monday, and Johnson advised parents to send their children to school in areas where rules allow it.
“There is no doubt in my mind that schools are safe, and that education is a priority,” he said.
Reuters
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