Filenews 19 October 2021
Coronavirus cases that are high, as well as deaths from Covid-19, may lead Britain to a pullback. The return of mandatory mask wearing, vaccine passports and teleworking is on the table.
Coronavirus cases rose more than a fifth in a week and deaths by 60%, according to Natasha Kantzavelou's response to ERT.
Downing Street's Warning
Downing Street warns Britons that the next few months will be "challenging and difficult" with the health ministry saying 49,156 new infections were recorded in the last 24 hours, which rose by 22.2% last Monday, the highest number since mid-July.
However, Downing Street has no immediate plans to reinstate restrictions despite rising metrics, but has admitted to carefully monitoring the situation.
Hospitalizations and deaths remain well below previous waves, but there are concerns that even a slight rise could drive the NHS to the limit this winter, while trying to cope with high flu levels and the usual seasonal pressures.
Plan B
The government's plan B will be activated if hospitalisations start to exceed 1,000 a day and the UK is approaching that number after 915 Covid-19 admissions were recorded yesterday in NHS hospitals, the highest rate in a month.
There are also fears that the intake of Covid booster vaccines may be too slow to prevent hospitalization from increasing this winter, with only half of those eligible over the age of 80 receiving the third dose of the program that began a month ago.
