U.K. looks at longer lockdown

Britain predicted to fill hospital beds by next month

A man wears a face mask as he passes the London Eye in Britain on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020.
A man wears a face mask as he passes the London Eye in Britain on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020.

LONDON -- A new national lockdown in England may have to last longer than the planned four weeks if coronavirus infection rates don't fall quickly enough, a senior government minister said Sunday.

The lockdown, announced Saturday by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is to run from Thursday until Dec. 2. Johnson says it's needed to stop hospitals from becoming overwhelmed by covid-19 patients within weeks.

Cabinet minister Michael Gove said it was the government's "fervent hope" that the lockdown would end on time, but that could not be guaranteed.

"With a virus this malignant, and with its capacity to move so quickly, it would be foolish to predict with absolute certainty what will happen in four weeks' time," he told Sky News. "We're going to review it on the 2nd of December, but we're always driven by what the data says."

Under the new restrictions, bars and restaurants can only offer take-out, nonessential shops must close and people will only be able to leave home for a short list of reasons including exercise. Hairdressers, gyms, golf courses, swimming pools and bowling alleys are among venues that must shut down, and foreign holidays are barred.

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Unlike during the U.K.'s first three-month coronavirus lockdown earlier this year, schools, universities, construction sites and manufacturing businesses will stay open.

Britain has the worst virus death toll in Europe, with more than 46,700 dead. It passed 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday and confirmed another 23,254 new infections on Sunday.

Like other European countries, virus cases in the U.K. began to climb after lockdown measures were eased in the summer and people began to return to workplaces, schools, universities and social life. In recent weeks, new infections have been soaring across the continent, especially in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Spain and the U.K.

Johnson had hoped regional restrictions introduced in October, mostly in northern England, would be enough to push the numbers of new infections down. But government scientific advisers predict that on the outbreak's current trajectory, the demand for hospital beds will exceed the capacity by the first week of December, even if temporary hospitals are set up again.

"Unless we act, we could see deaths in this country running at several thousand a day," Johnson said as he announced the lockdown during a televised news conference on Saturday evening.

But owners of pubs, restaurants, theaters and gyms all say the measures will be devastating.

A government program that has paid the wages of millions of furloughed employees during the pandemic has been extended during the new lockdown. Many businesses say that is not enough, especially in the arts, where most people work as freelancers.

Mark Davyd, chief executive of the Music Venue Trust, urged the government to offer the live events industry further financial support, as has been done in France and Germany.

"We look forward to urgent details from ministers on the financial package that will protect businesses and livelihoods in this vital, world-leading British industry," he said.

WHEELS KEEP TURNING

Also Sunday, U.K. the government and Transport for London struck a deal to keep buses and subways running in the capital, where passenger numbers have collapsed because of the pandemic. The mix of grants and loans worth $2.3 billion is earmarked to keep the system operating until the end of March.

Under the new restrictions, places of worship can stay open for private prayer and funerals, but not for communal services. That has drawn criticism from England's top two Roman Catholic clergy, Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Archbishop Malcolm McMahon, who say the suspension would cause "deep anguish."

"Faith communities have played a vital role in sustaining personal, spiritual and mental health and encouraging vital charitable activities" during the pandemic, they said. "That critical service towards the common good of all is created and sustained by communal worship."

The new lockdown needs Parliament's approval and a vote is scheduled for Wednesday. Some members of Johnson's Conservative Party oppose tighter restrictions because of the economic damage they inflict, but the main opposition Labor Party says it will vote for the new lockdown.

The restrictions will apply to England. Other parts of the U.K. govern their own public health measures, with Wales and Northern Ireland already effectively in lockdown and Scotland under a set of tough regional restrictions.

POPE'S PRAISE, PANS

Pope Francis called for patience and solidarity while criticizing those who complain about restrictive measures during the coronavirus pandemic, according to an interview published Sunday by Serbia-based Politika newspaper.

He praised what he called urban heroes "who take responsibility toward others and look for a concrete solution so no one is left behind."

"On the other hand, we have an increase in numbers of those who mercilessly profited from the misfortune of others, those who think only about themselves, who protested or complained about certain restrictive measures, unable to accept that not everyone has the same abilities and resources to face the pandemic," according to the Serbian-language transcript.

"We don't come out of the crisis the same, we can become better or worse, but never the same," the pontiff was quoted as saying, warning that all crises can intensify existing injustices but they can also bring out the best in people.

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Countries trying to salvage their economies risk "forgetting that an authentic development must promote all people and human as a whole."

"We need change. The pandemic brought our organizational and developmental models into a crisis; it exposed many injustices, the troubling silence and social and health failures, subjecting a great number of our brothers to the processes of social exclusion and degradation," the pope said.

EASING IN AUSTRALIA

Meanwhile, Australia on Sunday recorded no new locally transmitted coronavirus infections for the first time in five months.

In Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state, which had the highest number of cases in the country, residents on Sunday enjoyed the first weekend of cafes, restaurants and pubs reopening to walk-in customers.

The city only has one mystery case without a known source. There are 61 active cases left across the state, down from 70 on Saturday.

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State Deputy Premier James Merlino hailed Sunday's zero figures as "another great day for Victoria," but urged caution ahead of Australia's most-prestigious horse race on Tuesday, the Melbourne Cup, known as the "race that stops a nation." Australians traditionally gather in bars or in private homes to watch the event, a public holiday.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton urged Victorians to enjoy the Cup but to continue obeying guidance on mask-wearing and social distancing.

"The great majority of Melburnians know what do to," Sutton said. "There will be a few who may be a bit liberal in their behavior."

Sutton said the new wave of infections in Europe showed how quickly the coronavirus can reassert itself.

"What Europe is going through now is a consequence of not being able to get to this point where you can stay on top of very low numbers," he said. "What we have created is very precious and we need to hold onto it tightly."

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Western Australia state on Sunday recorded one new case of covid-19, a woman who returned from overseas and is in hotel quarantine.

In other news:

• The more than 1,700 Mexican health workers who have died of covid-19 were honored with three days of national mourning during the country's Days of the Dead.

Amnesty International said last month that Mexico had lost more medical professionals to the coronavirus than any other nation.

• French families took advantage Sunday of an exception to the country's national virus lockdown measures to gather at cemeteries to mark All Saints' Day and honor lost loved ones.

France's government has shut down all nonessential businesses and ordered people to stay indoors for the next month to slow accelerating virus infections, hospitalizations and deaths. But cemeteries stayed open and church services were allowed for the All Saints' holiday weekend.

• Iran's Health Ministry reported another single-day record for coronavirus deaths Sunday, with 434 people dying in 24 hours from the virus, bringing Iran's death toll in the pandemic to more than 35,000.

The ministry said it recorded 7,719 new confirmed infections since Saturday. Iran has reported more than 620,000 confirmed virus cases in all.

• Burhan Kuzu, a Turkish politician from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party, died from the coronavirus on Sunday.

Kuzu, 65, had been receiving treatment for covid-19 since Oct. 17, the country's health minister tweeted.

Information for this article was contributed by Jill Lawless and staff members of The Associated Press and by Misha Savic of Bloomberg News.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a press conference in 10 Downing Street, London, on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a press conference in 10 Downing Street, London, on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)
A view across a sparsely crowded Covent Garden in central London, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. Earlier Saturday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced England will start a monthlong lockdown next week. Johnson says the new measures will begin Thursday and last until Dec. 2. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)
A view across a sparsely crowded Covent Garden in central London, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. Earlier Saturday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced England will start a monthlong lockdown next week. Johnson says the new measures will begin Thursday and last until Dec. 2. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)
British lawmaker Michael Gove, right, is driven away following his appearance on a current affairs TV programme in London, Sunday Nov. 1, 2020.  The British government announced on Saturday a four-week public lockdown in response to the coronavirus, but Michael Gove on Sunday acknowledged that the lockdown could be extended. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
British lawmaker Michael Gove, right, is driven away following his appearance on a current affairs TV programme in London, Sunday Nov. 1, 2020. The British government announced on Saturday a four-week public lockdown in response to the coronavirus, but Michael Gove on Sunday acknowledged that the lockdown could be extended. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
People dine and take drinks on Old Compton Street in the Soho area of central London, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. Earlier Saturday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced England will start a month long lockdown next week. Johnson says the new measures will begin Thursday and last until Dec. 2. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)
People dine and take drinks on Old Compton Street in the Soho area of central London, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. Earlier Saturday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced England will start a month long lockdown next week. Johnson says the new measures will begin Thursday and last until Dec. 2. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)
One shopper walks away with a full cart as others queue outside a major supermarket in Leicester, England, Sunday Nov. 1, 2020.  The British government announced on Saturday a four-week public lockdown in response to the latest coronavirus surge, and government lawmaker Michael Gove on Sunday acknowledged that the lockdown could be extended. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)
One shopper walks away with a full cart as others queue outside a major supermarket in Leicester, England, Sunday Nov. 1, 2020. The British government announced on Saturday a four-week public lockdown in response to the latest coronavirus surge, and government lawmaker Michael Gove on Sunday acknowledged that the lockdown could be extended. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)
Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer faces the media in central London, following his appearance on a current affairs TV programme, Sunday Nov. 1, 2020.  The British government announced on Saturday a four-week public lockdown in response to the coronavirus, but government lawmaker Michael Gove on Sunday acknowledged that the lockdown could be extended. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer faces the media in central London, following his appearance on a current affairs TV programme, Sunday Nov. 1, 2020. The British government announced on Saturday a four-week public lockdown in response to the coronavirus, but government lawmaker Michael Gove on Sunday acknowledged that the lockdown could be extended. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)
A few people sit in an outdoor area of a pub in Covent Garden in central London, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. Earlier Saturday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced England will start a monthlong lockdown next week. Johnson says the new measures will begin Thursday and last until Dec. 2. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)
A few people sit in an outdoor area of a pub in Covent Garden in central London, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. Earlier Saturday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced England will start a monthlong lockdown next week. Johnson says the new measures will begin Thursday and last until Dec. 2. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)

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