UK’s Johnson warns tougher virus measures needed to ‘protect’ Christmas

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warns that authorities will have to impose tougher measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 and “protect” the Christmas holidays as the government prepares to introduce stricter measures in northeast England.

Johnson’s comments come amid reports that the government plans to impose a 10 p.m. curfew on pubs and restaurants in response to a recent jump in confirmed coronavirus cases. Local officials asked for more restrictions now to prevent a tighter lockdown later.

Johnson writes in a piece published in The Sun newspaper that the only way to be certain the country can enjoy the winter holidays “is to be tough now.”

He says he wants to “stop the surge, arrest the spike, stop the second hump of the dromedary, flatten the second hump.”

Over the past two days, opposition lawmakers had criticized Johnson’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis and accused his government of lacking a cohesive plan to tackle a second wave of the pandemic. A shortage of testing capacity is a particular concern, with people around the country complaining they were unable to book appointments for tests or directed to testing centers far from their homes.

Widespread testing is seen as crucial to controlling the spread of the virus because it allows those who are infected to self-isolate while helping health officials identify hot spots and trace those who are infected.

Daily infection rates have risen to levels not seen since late May, forcing the British government to impose limits on public gatherings.

— AP