While the world is still grappling under the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic and the UK’s recent revelation of a new coronavirus variant, here comes news of a second strain that is feared to be more communicable than the first.
The South Africa-originated new mutant 501Y.V2 has pushed parts of the nation into the Tier 4, starting from Boxing Day. Reports say that this new variant is ‘more transmissible’ and ‘mutated further’ when compared with the previous one.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, has revealed that restrictions have been imposed on people going to and coming from South Africa, and those who have done so in the past few days are advised two weeks of quarantine.
The recent coronavirus variant is circulating rapidly in the East of England and London. Parts of East Sussex, West Sussex Essex, Hampshire and Surrey will be entering the Tier 4 lockdown from the midnight of Boxing Day. Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk are close on their heels.
Tier 3 has been announced for areas that were under tier 2 and those under Tier 1 will enter Tier 2. Tier 1 will not be present in any part of England.
The last twenty four hours have seen Britain record 39,237 cases of the coronavirus , the highest ever in the pandemic so far.
