The festive season is near in the UK and people do not want to stay at home like the previous year while at the same time the Prime Minister has denied ruling out a Christmas lockdown as the death rate is increasing. Boris Johnson has emphasized the fact that if the public does not want further restrictions then they need to immune themselves by booster vaccine (Pfizer and Moderna).
The pandemic has not ended and the cases of the UK have been rising after a long fall of 1000 deaths a week. To avoid these massive deaths, the Prime minister needs to act on Plan B as soon as possible.
Fig: Anti-lock down protest by UK citizens
The main points of Plan B
following are the main points of the plan B
Wearing Masks
- It will be mandatory for the public to cover their face by wearing masks when they are outside the house at grocery markets, on public transport, etc. Students of secondary and high schools must use masks during their class time and maintain a social distance. Students at all levels (schools and colleges) use sanitizers and wash their hands with soap regularly. If the cases increase then students will have to take virtual classes from home.
Vaccine Certificate
- All shopping malls, nightclubs, gym centers, and training centers must check the temperature of every visitor along with a vaccine certificate. If any person is having a symptom of Coronavirus then he must self-isolate himself from the crowd.
Crowd Limit
- It will be mandatory to set a crowd limit to any function or social gathering like; indoor activities will allow the capacity of 500 people while 4000 people are allowed outdoor and in-stadium gigs and football Premier Leagues, 10,000 spectators are allowed with social distance.
Work From Home
- It will be mandatory for people to work from home for a limited period.
Plan B is different from Christmas Lockdown
All these restrictions were in practice when the virus spreads in 2020. People do not want these strict restrictions in early 2021. England people do not want another lockdown and protest is increasing. Plan B is different from shutting down all restaurants, pubs, and malls. Schools will not be closed like in Lockdown.
All office meetings will not be held on Zoom, Skype, and Ten cents. People without vaccination will not be fined outside their house. Restrictions are not strict like in lockdown as 80% of the population has been vaccinated but if the death cases increase then Plan B will be changed into complete lockdown just like in 2020.
Fig: COVID-19 restrictions in England 2020
Precautionary Measures by the Government of England
The government of England is monitoring the proportion of COVID cases and is keeping an eye on hospitals with people above 65 years of age (with low immunity), bed occupancy of non-COVID or COVID patients, people registering for 1st and 2nd dose of vaccination, registration for the third dose, availability of medicines and capacity of ICU in every medical center. These precautionary measures need to be checked to decrease the spread of any new variant. Nowadays, a booster jab-up for over 40 years of aged people is under strict observation by NHS.
Fig: Social distancing is an essential practice of keeping yourself safe from infection
Political choice by Boris Johnson
Prime Minister has taken a radical decision of not applying any Christmas lockdown because of low cases. He said that ‘We are following a plan A’ He also warns of a winter storm cloud. NHS does not accept this comment as a virus outbreak can happen anytime, there must be some restrictions to activate plan B at a former stage so that more and more lives can be saved.
