Scotland closes nightclubs

The Scottish government on Thursday (23 December) ordered the closure of nightclubs in the United Kingdom from Monday to prevent an outbreak of contamination caused by the Omicron version of the coronavirus.

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In a statement, the government said the measure would apply to around 150 nightclubs, which could remain open for table service if they wish, and would be reviewed after three weeks. He had already announced a ban on gatherings from next week and canceled New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Facing a spectacular resurgence of Covid-19 cases, the United Kingdom (over 147,000 dead) on Wednesday crossed the 100,000-case mark for the first time in 24 hours since the start of the pandemic. The number of hospitalizations has started increasing, especially in London. Every country in the country is responsible for health problems. So far, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have announced stricter restrictions.

“encouraging” study

As for England, Boris Johnson’s government is procrastinating, relying in particular on two studies published on Wednesday showing a lower risk of hospitalization with the Omicron version compared to the Delta chief until recently. Imperial College professor Neil Ferguson, who led one of these studies, however, cautioned that this drop in risk was offset by a decline in the effectiveness of vaccines against Omicron. Given the high infectivity and therefore the large number of cases, this risks straining hospital services.

In view of these studiesencouraging“It could happen,” British Health Minister Sajid Javid warned.a significant number of hospitalizations“. He confirmed that the British government does not plan to announce any restrictions before Christmas.”Despite the precautions we all are taking, people should enjoy Christmas with their family and friends“, he announced to television.

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However, the government is counting on a massive campaign of vaccination reminders carried out at an unprecedented rate. It has so far only reinstated masks indoors, recommended teleworking and introduced a health pass for major events and nightclubs.

Faced with a huge number of positive cases disrupting the functioning of hospitals, cancellation of trains or closure of restaurants and theatres, he has reduced the period of isolation from 10 to 7 for those infected in the event of negative tests. Gave.