New regional restrictions have been imposed in parts of Britain to limit the Coronavirus epidemic. At the same time, political and social resistance to these measures is increasing.
The stricter restrictive measures will take effect in Wales from Sunday evening. Austerity measures will affect half of Wales’ population of 3.1 million.
According to a local government decree, in eight counties in South Wales, including the two largest county cities, Swansea and Cardiff – the Welsh capital – non-resident homeowners are not permitted to meet indoors, including at each other’s homes, and spend the night together. This applies to both acquaintances and family members.
On Sunday, residents cannot leave the eight counties and the two big cities, except for a few exceptional reasons, or they cannot enter these areas from elsewhere.
The exceptions include if someone needs urgent medical care that is only available elsewhere, or if someone goes to school outside of the affected areas, or if they have a job outside the closed area and are unable to do their work from home.
In affected areas of Wales, bars are not permitted to serve alcoholic drinks after 22:00 and must close at 22:20.
Similar measures have been taken in England and Scotland in recent days: All restaurants in these two parts of the country must close at 10 pm, although food delivery can still be done for home delivery.
According to the latest figures, the number of coronavirus infections per 100,000 people ranges between 38 and 152 in the Welsh areas affected by the restrictions. Based on the practice of their home country in Britain, the authorities impose local restrictions with more than twenty people out of every 100,000 people infected.
Hotspots of infection with the Coronavirus were found in a number of universities in England and Scotland, and as a result, three thousand university students were unable to leave their dormitories on Sunday.
Most of them went into the officially requested quarantine at Metropolitan University of Manchester: 1,700 students must spend two weeks in solitary confinement after 127 students tested positive for the coronavirus. They were “trapped” after the government had previously encouraged students to return to their universities.
Thousands protested against restrictive measures taken to curb the coronavirus epidemic in London’s Trafalgar Square on Saturday evening. The protesters clashed several times with police officers who attempted to enforce distance regulations.
On Sunday, Scotland Yard said 11 police and six protesters were injured in the clashes and 16 people were detained.
According to press reports, there is also growing resistance in the British government’s political interior to the way the restrictions are imposed. According to unanimous reports, the situation in the House faction of the ruling Conservative Party is nearing a rebellion due to the fact that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government does not consult Parliament before taking measures restricting freedoms.
The most influential political body in the Conservative faction, the 1922 Committee, proposed to make mandatory government plans for restrictive measures for previous parliamentary debate and vote.
A recent nationwide poll commissioned by the left-wing British newspaper The Observer showed a dangerous decline in the popularity of the Conservative Party.
According to a Opinium poll, Labor, the largest opposition force, took the lead with 42 percent, with 39 percent of voters voting for the Conservatives.
Labor has been the leader in popularity for the first time since former prime minister Theresa May left last summer and Boris Johnson took office.
According to the poll, 30 percent of voters support the Johnson government’s pandemic management activities. The satisfaction rate was still 65 percent in March.
