Here are two responses to Boris Johnson’s press conference:
The Green party MP Caroline Lucas tweeted:
Caroline Lucas
(@CarolineLucas)PM’s platitudes at today’s press conference is yet another argument for an urgent (virtual) recall of parliament so we can properly hold this lot to account for their deadly incompetence
The shadow health minister Dr Rosena Allin-Khan tweeted:
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan
(@DrRosena)A 2nd press conference for Johnson but still nobody in Govt has taken responsibility for Christmas plans being ruined.
The Govt is guilty of neglect, incompetence and delay. Johnson sits at the top of that decision making process and should take responsibility and apologise.
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Lewis Goodall, the policy editor at BBC Newsnight, tweeted:
Lewis Goodall
(@lewis_goodall)PM’s language on school reopening:
“We want if we possibly can to get schools back in a staggered way at the beginning of Jan… But the commonsensical thing to do is follow the path of the epidemic and keep things under constant review.”
Sounds like we’re heading for a change.
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Sir Patrick Vallance said he expected the new variant of the coronavirus to spread across the country and hinted that more of England could soon be moved into tier 4.
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Boris Johnson said he wanted schools to reopen as normal in January, and that was the priority, but he said this was dependent on the spread of the virus.
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At the No 10 press conference, Sir Patrick Vallance reiterated advice to the public to help keep the spread of the new Covid variant in check. He said it exists in all parts of the country, but people should “stay local” to prevent it spreading more quickly.
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Boris Johnson ‘working with Emmanuel Macron’ to resolve border delays
Boris Johnson said he had an “excellent” conversation with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and said he was keen to get the situation at Dover sorted out “in a few hours” if it was possible.
Johnson said he and Macron are working to “resolve these issues as fast as possible” so that freight traffic can get moving again.
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There were about 500 lorries queuing at the motorway in Kent last night, but that’s now down to around 170, the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said.
Shapps also urged people not to travel to Kent, in order to help contain the spread of the new Covid variant.
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Half a million people have received first dose of vaccine in the UK
More than 500,000 people have received their first dose of the vaccine, Boris Johnson said.
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Delays at Dover affecting only small amount of freight, says PM
Boris Johnson said the UK understands other countries’ anxieties about the new Covid variant, but argued that the risk from a lorry driver sitting alone was very low.
He insisted Channel port delays will only affect a small amount of food and medicine shipments coming into the UK. Johnson says the delays only involve ‘human-handled freight’, which only amounts to about 20% of the goods going to continental Europe.
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The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, has started his press conference. He said it is vital to stress that the delays occurring in Dover only affect human-handled freight, which is 20% of the freight coming in to the port.
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Covid-19 case rates are now above 1,000 cases per 100,000 people in eight local areas of the UK, PA reports.
Three of the areas are in Wales:
- Merthyr Tydfil (where the rate has jumped week-on-week from 926.6 to 1,299.6, which is the highest rate anywhere in the UK).
- Bridgend (up from 777.3 to 1,122.1).
- Blaenau Gwent (where the rate has climbed from 698.5 to 1,006.3).
The other five areas are in England:
- Thurrock (a huge jump from 435.9 to 1,178.7).
- Havering (up from 547.1 to 1,123.5).
- Epping Forest (up from 448.8 to 1,078.3).
- Basildon (up from 650.6 to 1,055.0).
- Medway (up from 641.2 to 1,037.1).
All figures are based on data published on Monday afternoon and are for the seven days to 17 December. Data on new cases for 18-21 December is incomplete and therefore not included.
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British Airways has agreed to allow only passengers who test negative for the novel coronavirus to fly to New York’s John F Kennedy international airport, the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, said on Monday, Reuters reported.
He said he has also asked Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic to “voluntarily agree” to screen passengers on flights to JFK.
“If they do not agree voluntarily, then New York State will pursue other options,” Cuomo said.
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