A scientific adviser to the British government warned Saturday that the pandemic is “running riot” in the UK, demonstrations against new Covid-19 measures have turned violent in Spain and Italy, while Germany has reported a record number of cases for the fourth day in a row.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson could announce a new lockdown for England at a Monday news conference, according to senior sources quoted by UK newspaper The Times. A UK government adviser, who asked not to be named, told CNN the reports were true.
The measures, which include closing everything except for essential shops and schools, would go in place as soon as Wednesday, The Times reported.
CNN contacted the Downing Street press office, which confirmed Monday’s news conference but said the national lockdown reports were speculation.
Johnson has previously said he wants to “avoid the misery of another lockdown,” but he hasn’t ruled it out.
Calum Semple, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and a consultant respiratory pediatrician, said tighter restrictions were needed to slow the spread of the virus.
“It’s a slightly slower growth than in the spring, but like a super tanker, it’s really moving now,” he told BBC Radio 4 on Saturday.
Semple said there were many more cases, particularly in younger women between the ages of 20 and 40, “because they’re exposed in retail, hospitality and some educational settings.”
“Unlike the first wave where we had a national lockdown which protected huge swathes of society, this outbreak is now running riot across all age groups.”
Top scientists have been warning for weeks that another lockdown would be needed in England instead of the current localized “tier” system.
“We’ve tried the softer approaches, and they’re not working as fast as we’d like them to,” University of Leicester virologist Julian Tang told CNN. “And now the virus has spread and seeded a lot more than expected, even in the worst-case scenarios.”
He said it was “not surprising” after the growth in case numbers seen following the relaxation of restrictions in Europe at the end of summer.
Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said on Twitter that the UK had “surpassed the ‘reasonable worst-case scenario,'” outlined by government scientists in September, with the country’s reproduction rate (R number) well above 1, indicating the virus is spreading. “The best time to act was a month ago but these are very tough decisions which we would all like to avoid. The second-best time is now,” he wrote.
The UK recorded 274 deaths Friday and 24,405 cases, bringing its total to 46,229 and 989,745 respectively.
Violence at anti-lockdown protests
Protests against new Covid-19 measures turned violent in Spain on Friday night as hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets, according to multiple Spanish media outlets.
At least 12 people, including two minors, were detained after “serious riots” erupted in the northeastern region of Catalonia in Spain, according to Catalonia’s Ministry of Interior.
“Tonight’s serious riots ended with 12 detainees [including two minors], 20 injured officers, at least two looted establishments… and several damaged police vehicles,” the Catalonian police said via Twitter early Saturday.
On Friday, the Catalonia region became one of at least 10 regions to close its borders to help fight Spain’s second wave of Covid-19. The existing closure of bars and restaurants in Catalonia has been extended for another 15 days, with shopping centers, cinemas, theatres, and gyms now ordered to close as well.
There were disturbances in several other cities on Friday night, including Burgos and Santander.
Spanish health authorities reported on Friday a record-breaking 25,595 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number to 1,185,678. The death toll reached 35,878 with 239 new deaths, according to official data.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in the historic center of Florence and clashed with the police on Friday night, the Florence police press office told CNN on Saturday.
Italian health official Gianni Rezza said that “there was no good news,” as the number of cases had reached 31,084, bringing the total to 647,674. The number of deaths increased by 199 to 38,321.
Numerous Italian regions are facing “critical risk,” according to a joint report by the Italian Health Ministry and Italian Health Institute released on Friday.
Lombardy — the worst hit during the pandemic — and Campania, the second most affected region, are among the 11 regions classified as at “high risk” of Covid-19 transmission.
Hospitals under…
Read More: Coronavirus in Europe: England lockdown, Spain and Italy protests, and German