Housing Secretary Michael Gove said after a meeting that the UK was in a “very worrying situation” with more than 58,000 new Covid-19 infections reported on Friday (10), a record number since January.
Heads of government in various countries of the United Kingdom faced “very difficult information” during the meeting chaired by the minister and focused on the health situation.
“We know we now have the highest number of Covid infections in the UK since January 9,” Gove confirmed on TV.
He said the number of micron variant cases “doubles every two or three days in England and even more rapidly in Scotland”.
In England, “30% of cases are of the micron variant”, which was identified in the country only 15 days ago.
Michael Gove said the variant spreads in such a way that even those vaccinated with two doses are more likely to “end up sick and infected and likely to be hospitalized.”
To deal with this new wave of infections, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Wednesday that he will return to remote work from Monday and adopt a health passport for major events.
The UK is one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe, with more than 146,000 deaths recorded since the start of the pandemic.
Recently, measures have been brought back to combat the new format, such as restrictions at borders and transportation or the use of masks in shops and public transport.
For its part, the Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the tightening of health rules. Starting Saturday, anyone will have to share an address with someone who has tested positive for ten days.
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