Johnson warns tougher steps may be needed

BRISTOL: Boris Johnson has warned that tougher lockdown measures may be needed as he announced that around 2.4 million vaccines for Covid-19 have now been put in people’s arms.

The Prime Minister stressed “now is the moment for maximum vigilance” amid increasing calls for tougher lockdown restrictions as case rates soar in several parts of the country. During a visit to a vaccine centre in Ashton Gate Stadium, here, the Prime Minister said: “We’re going to keep the rules under constant review. “Where we have to tighten them, we will. We have rules in place already which, if they are properly followed, we believe can make a huge, huge difference.

“It’s now that people need to focus… when they’re out shopping, whether they’re buying cups of coffee in the park or whatever it happens to be, they need to think about spreading the disease.” Johnson said that

“more important than us just pushing out new rules”, people should follow existing guidance. In supermarkets, people need to be keeping their distance, making sure that they’re wearing masks, doing the right thing.

“We need to enforce the rules in supermarkets. When people are getting takeaway drinks, in cafes, then they need to avoid spreading the disease there, avoid mingling too much.

“Now is the moment for maximum vigilance, maximum observance of the rules. Of course, if we feel that things are not being properly observed then we may have to do more.” Turning to vaccines, the Prime Minister said roughly 40% of the 80-year-olds in the UK have now been vaccinated, with around 23% of the elderly residents of care homes having been inoculated.

He said around two million people overall have received a vaccine and “maybe a bit more”. He added: “We’re at about 2.4 million jabs all in across the whole of the UK.”Among those calling for tougher lockdown rules is Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who told reporters the country is “at the most serious stage” of the pandemic “and that calls for the most serious restrictions”.Sir Keir said: “There probably is more that we could do. An example is the question of whether nurseries should be open.”