It was July 17th, ages ago. The UK had just reopened its pubs, hotels and theme parks and Boris Johnson was already promising a “Back to normal for Christmas”. On Wednesday September 9, the British Prime Minister, paralyzed by fear of a second epidemic wave, dampened the hopes of his fellow citizens and again announced restrictions for all of English territory. From September 14th the “rule of six” will apply: it will be forbidden to meet with more than six people, inside or outside. Notable exceptions: schools, pubs, restaurants, weddings and funerals.
No more birthdays and barbecue evenings when, this summer, gatherings of up to thirty people from two households were allowed. A household of five can therefore only receive one additional person at home. This rule will be enshrined in law: it will therefore be illegal to break it. So far, British police have had a light hand, even during widespread containment (between March 23 and the end of June). It should now be more severe: offenders will have to pay a fine of 100 pounds sterling (110 euros) in the event of non-compliance, up to a limit of 3,200 pounds (3,500 euros) if they reoffend.
Bars and restaurants will be required to collect their customers’ contact details and airport arrival checks – notoriously light up to now – should be stepped up. Customs will check more systematically that people arriving in the UK have completed their passenger form (identification form) online before boarding – a way to better track them afterwards during their quarantine. Finally, the return of conferences and large gatherings in the stadiums, scheduled for early October, is questioned.
“Now is the time to act”
“The goal of all these measures is to avoid a second wave, schools should only be closed again at the last end”, Boris Johnson said at a press conference – without journalists – in Downing Street. Although not as high as in France, infections have surged in recent days, rising to almost 3,000 new daily cases across the UK.
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