LONDON (UK) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not yet opting for a full national lockdown in England in spite of demands for the same from the opposition leader for a “circuit breaker” lockdown, Work and Pensions Minister Thérèse Coffey said on Wednesday.
Coffey told Sky, “I do not believe that the prime minister wants to set off on a national lockdown, but as ever he is advised by scientists – he takes that decision.”
Asked if England was heading for a national lockdown in the next two weeks, Coffey said: “I don’t believe that is the case but as I say this will continue to be a decision that the prime minister will lead on.”
Coffey said the three-tier system of lockdowns announced on Monday should be tried.
However, government scientific advisers said in a paper likely to be published on Wednesday that a two-week full lockdown from October 24 could bring down deaths for the rest of the year from about 19,900 to 12,100, The Times reported.
The paper by Graham Medley, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, says that “the optimal time for a break is always now; there are no good epidemiological reasons to delay the break.”