Covid restrictions ‘probably about to get tougher’ says Johnson

'There are obviously a range of tougher measures that we would have to consider’

Boris Johnson has warned that restrictions in England are “probably” going to get tougher in the coming weeks ahead as coronavirus infections continue to surge and concerns mount over pressure on the NHS.

The remarks from the prime minister came after government figures showed Covid-19 cases were higher than 50,000 for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday when figures released by the Department of Health and Social Care showed a record-high of 57,725 lab-confirmed cases.

Mr Johnson, who has previously declined to rule out the prospect of a third national lockdown, told the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme: “We are entirely reconciled to doing what it takes to get the virus down and that may involve tougher measures in the weeks ahead.”

Pressed on what further restrictions could entail, Mr Johnson said: “There are obviously a range of tougher measures that we would have to consider. I’m not going to speculate now on what they should be.”

After defying calls from unions to delay the reopening of primary schools on Monday, he added that closing classrooms “is one of those things” but stressed it “wasn’t something we necessarily want to do”.

He added: “What we are doing now is using the tiering system, which is a very tough system… and, alas, probably about to get tougher to keep things under control. But, we will review it.”

Responding to Mr Johnson’s comments, Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, claimed: “Johnson’s indecision over Covid is dangerous and creates unnecessary anxiety across the country.

"He has been behind the curve throughout this pandemic from the first lockdown to PPE, testing and care homes. Now he admits a lockdown is inevitable, but doesn’t act.

"Britain deserves better. Not only do we need a comprehensive plan that protects jobs and mental health, but Ministers must win back public trust with an independent inquiry into the Government's handling of the pandemic."

Speaking just moments before the prime minister, professor Mark Walport, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said it was “pretty clear” that more measures would be needed to contain the spread of the new variant of Covid-19.

Pressed on whether Tier 4 restrictions — the most severe level of measures currently used by the government – were enough, Sir Mark added: “It’s the Tier 4 restrictions, it’s obeying them. It is thinking about breaking essentially every possible route of transmission we possible can.

“Those are the things that are absolutely necessary and that is pretty clear we’re going to need more.”

As Mr Johnson insisted parents should send their children back to schools in England on Monday in areas where they are scheduled to open, Sir Mark added: “We know that transmission occurs within schools.

"We know that a person between 12 and 16 is seven times more likely than others in a household to bring the infection into a household. And we know that there was a small dip in the amount of transmission in school children after the half term, which then went up again when they went back."