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Boris Johnson warns tough border measures ‘could need to go further’ to protect vaccine program
BORIS Johnson has given a stark warning that tough quarantine measures at the border "could need to go further" to protect the vaccine programme from new mutants variants of Covid.
It could mean returning travellers will have to pay to quarantine in hotels for 10 days - or Britain's borders could be closed entirely.
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Speaking at Downing Street Mr Johnson warned: "I really don't rule out that we may need to take further measures (at the border) still, we may need to go further to protect our borders.
"We don't want the massive success that NHS and others have had with the vaccination to be put that at risk by having new variant come back in."
Plans to toughen up the rules at the border comes only a week after the PM announced all travel corridors would be scrapped and everyone returning would have to self-isolate at home for 10 days.
Anyone getting on a plane to the UK must also show evidence of a negative Covid test taken within the last 72 hours, otherwise they face fines of £500 when they land.
Mr Johnson insisted the rules in place "are already pretty rigorous".
New plans, similar to Australia and New Zealand, could force all arrivals to quarantine at a hotel near the airport, spending 10 days there and paid for out of their own pocket.
A source said Government officials were "engaging" hotel groups on the possibility of using them to quarantine new arrivals.
There is growing concern the variant of the virus which emerged in South Africa and Brazil could make the vaccines less effective.
But the jab does work against the UK variant, Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser said this evening.
Sir Patrick said this evening: "We are more concerned the (South African and Brazilian variants) have more features that mean they might be less susceptible to vaccines.
"There is definitely more concern and we need to keep looking at it and studying it."
He warned there was significant uncertainty surrounding both variants.
It follows the shocking news the super-contagious variant of the virus discovered in Kent could be as much as 40 per cent more deadly.
But the PM did give a reason to hope, hailing the vaccine rollout and the new 2million Brits have been vaccinated in the last week alone.
The PM told the press conference tonight: "We've been informed today in addition to spreading more quickly, it appears there is some evidence the new variant may be associated with a higher degree of mortality."
He warned the infection rate was "forbiddingly high".
The new strain is already more easily transmitted than the older one too - meaning it is infecting more Brits.
It's being blamed for the huge increases in cases in the UK in the last month.
However, Sir Patrick said that 13 or 14 people per 1000 would die of the new strain, compared to around 10 of the old strain.
A record 1,820 deaths were reported earlier this week - and cases are still sky-high though they have fallen across the country.
Hospitals are under significant pressure with Britain's Covid alert level still at five - meaning they are at risk of being overwhelmed.
It came as:
- Boris warned "the death number will continue to be high - at east for a little while to come"
- 40,261 new Covid cases were reported in the last 24 hours - and 1,401 deaths
- There were the first signs that the pressure on the NHS is easing as number of Covid patients in hospital starts to fall
- The R rate was officially below one again
- George Eustice said officials were looking at more ways to crackdown on borders and even shut them completely to stop new variants reaching Britain's shores
- Leaked documents revealed plans to give everyone who tests positive £500
- But the Treasury said they'd not even heard of the proposal and livid allies of the PM said it wasn't going to happen
- Plans are being firmed up for the UK to start forcing people to quarantine in hotels when they come into the country
Mr Johnson met with his Covid “war committee” earlier today amid fears this lockdown is not as effective in driving down the virus as last spring.
The Covid Operations Committee gathers to sign off changes to bug-fighting tactics and lockdown rules - and another meeting is pencilled in for early next week
It’s attended by the core “quad” of top ministers: The PM, Chancellor Health Secretary and Mr Gove the Cabinet office boss.
Others like the Home Secretary and Transport Secretary are also invited occasionally if discussions and decisions stray into their areas.
There are growing concerns in Government that the crucial “R” rate of virus reproduction is not falling as quickly as it did in last April. Some ministers fear fresh clampdown measures will be announced next week with even tougher border restrictions high on the agenda.
Downing Street do not deny they may make arrivals in the UK quarantine in hotels when they land here.
SUMMER LOVE?
It came after Boris said yesterday that lockdown might last until the summer.
The PM said it was too early to decide when lockdown measures can be lifted - and gave no specific timeframe.
He was asked by a reporter if it would be spring or more like summer when people could finally get some of their freedoms back.
And he replied: "I think it's too early to say when we'll be able to lift some of some of the restrictions.
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"What we're seeing in the ONS data, in the REACT survey, we're seeing the contagiousness of the new variant that we saw arrive just before Christmas. There's no doubt it does spread very fast indeed."
He said it would "unquestionably will be a tough few weeks ahead".
The lockdown was reviewed earlier this week and no changes were made. It legally has to be looked at every two weeks - but nothing is set to change until after February 15.
This morning George Eustice was the first minister to speciically say lockdown rules may last until the summer in some form.
He said on Sky Newson the vaccination programme: "All vulnerable cohorts by the end of February and if we can get to that position then by the Spring we can start to turn the corner.
"There is light at the end of the tunnel. Once we get all those vulnerable cohorts vaccinated and start to move down the age ranges in late Spring/early summer, I really think it will be possible to return to life much closer to normal.
"It won't be entirely normal initially but we will be able to come out of the lockdown and start living life again in the way we wanted it."
Downing Street would not rule out the possibility of the lockdown continuing into the summer this lunchtime.
Asked directly whether he could rule out the lockdown lasting into the summer, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We will continue to keep all of the scientific evidence and data under review.
"It remains our position that we want to ease restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so, but in order for us to do that we need to see the transmission rates of the virus come down and we need to see the pressure on the NHS reduce."
Northern Ireland's lockdown has been extended for another four weeks until at least March 5 - raising the prospect the move will be mirrored across the rest of the UK.
Home Secretary Priti Patel didn't rule out hardening the lockdown rules further if the situation in hospitals doesn't improve.
Asked whether the current rules go far enough, she said the focus was on enforcement but "all measures are under review".
Speaking at a Downing St press conference last night, she said: "We've always said all our measures are completely under review, and when it comes with policing we continue to work with our operational partners on the type of fines and restrictions and the measures that we put in place and that has always been the case throughout this pandemic.
"It is simply far too early to even contemplate where we go with restrictions. It's right that all our measures are under review, that is inevitable, but right now it's far too early to say or even speculate when we can lift restrictions."
Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, could not say when kids would be back at school, but he "hoped" they would be back by Easter.
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PUB HOPE?
Some hopeful ministers believe Brits could be back in the pub by March with the tiered system back in place, and most people in Tier 2.
It is understood current thinking would first see kids go back to the classrooms but other stay at home restrictions kept in place - similar to November’s shutdown.
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Then Mr Johnson is adamant to keep his tier system but it's likely that most of the country would automatically go back into Tier 4 first - the highest level of restrictions with pubs and shops still shut - to begin with.
Slowly areas may be allowed back into Tiers 3 and 2 that allow more activities and households to meet up outside, with no single “big bang moment” of unlocking.
Boris Johnson says it's 'too early' to say whether covid-19 coronavirus restrictions will be lifted before spring or summer
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