Scotland closes nightclubs

The Scottish government on Thursday, 23 December ordered the closure of nightclubs in the United Kingdom from Monday to prevent a rise in contamination due to 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 earlier announced a ban on celebrations starting next week and canceled New Year’s celebrations.

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

“encouraging” study

For England, Boris Johnson’s government is procrastinating, relying especially on two studies published on Wednesday recently showing a lower risk of hospitalization with the Omicron variant compared to the flagship Delta. Imperial College professor Neil Ferguson, who conducted one study, warned that the low risk was offset by the low efficacy of the Omicron vaccines. Given the high infectivity and therefore the large number of cases, this risks straining hospital services.

Given these studiesencouraging“It could happen,” British Health Minister Sajid Javid warned.hospitalized in large numbers“. He confirmed that the UK government has no plans to announce restrictions until Christmas.”Despite all the precautions we take, people should enjoy Christmas with their family and friends”, he announced on television.

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However, the government is counting on the massive vaccination booster campaign carried out at an unprecedented rate. For the time being, they have only reinstated masks indoors, recommended teleworking and introduced a health pass for major events and nightclubs.

Faced with a large number of positive cases disrupting the functioning of hospitals, cancellation of trains or closure of restaurants and cinemas, he reduced the period of isolation for those infected from 10 to 7 days, provided they have tested negative.