New COVID-19 Strain Plagues London, Causes Emergency Lockdown & Canceled Flights
London has gone into an emergency lockdown leading to chaos and canceled flights as a new COVID-19 strain plagues the nation and more than 16 million Britons. On Sunday (Dec. 20), the emergency lockdown went into effect in London and southeast England.
The current ban, part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson‘s attempt to control the fast-spreading new strain, bans household mixing in the capital and the southeast, and restricts socializing up until Christmas Day across the rest of England. Prior to the new strain and new ban, Johnson originally planned to relax restrictions for five days during the holiday.
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It’s reported that scientific evidence suggests the new variant, unique to the U.K., spread significantly quicker than the previous strains, leading to the huge surge in infections in recent days. At a press conference on Saturday, Johnson stated, “When the virus changes its method of attack we must change our method of defense. Without action the evidence suggests infections would soar, hospitals would become overwhelmed and many thousands more would lose their lives.”
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