Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Sep 01, 2025

UK extends COVID-19 restrictions as Delta variant spreads

UK extends COVID-19 restrictions as Delta variant spreads

The U.K. will face another four weeks of COVID-19-related restrictions, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Monday amid concerns of rapid spread of a highly transmissible Delta variant.
While the government was planning to ease restrictions on June 21, Johnson announced the U.K. will push back reopenings until July 19 at the latest, amid rising infections and hospitalizations tied to the variant. The additional weeks are hoped to give the National Health Service (NHS) more time to deliver jabs into arms.

"We’ve obviously faced a difficult choice," Johnson said during a press conference. "We can simply keep going with all of step 4 on June 21st, even though there is a real possibility that the virus will outrun the vaccines and thousands more deaths would ensue that could otherwise have been avoided. Or else, we can give the NHS a few more crucial weeks to get those remaining jabs into the arms of those who need them."

Cases are growing by 64% each week, doubling in the worst affected areas, while the average number of people admitted to the hospital in England is increasing by 50% week over week, climbing to 61% in the northwest, he said. The government's lockdown response plan defines step 4 as eliminating "all legal limits on social contact" and reopening "remaining premises, including nightclubs, and easing the restrictions on large events and performances." Those restrictions will remain in place, with the exception of weddings with over 30 guests where social distancing is in place, among other events.

"Since today I cannot say that we have met all our four tests for proceeding with step 4 on June the 21st, I think it is sensible to wait just a little longer," he said, noting that the U.K. is aiming to fully vaccinate about two-thirds of the adult population by July 19, including everyone over age 50, all the vulnerable, frontline workers and everyone 40 and up who received initial doses by mid-May. Officials also aim to see every adult with an initial dose by July 19 to lower the risk of transmission.

"As things stand and on the evidence that I can see right now, I’m confident that we will not need more than four weeks and we won't need to go beyond July the 19th," Johnson said.

Officials will monitor the situation daily, and if after two weeks, it's determined that the risk has diminished, the U.K. could see a full reopening sooner.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×