British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told his lawmakers that the new tiered system of CCP virus restrictions will have a “sunset” expiration date of Feb. 3, 2021, in an apparent attempt to win support from Tory MPs ahead of the Commons vote on the new measures on Tuesday.
When the ongoing month-long national lockdown ends on Dec. 2, a new system will come into force in England, placing most regions under higher tiers of restrictions than before the current lockdown.
The regulations will be reviewed every fortnight and “have a sunset of 3 February,” he wrote, adding that Parliament will have another vote in late January to decide whether the tiered approach should stay in place until the end of March.
The rules could be eased in December when the first fortnightly review takes place. A cabinet committee will consider the views of local public health chiefs and decide if any areas should change tiers, after which the changes will come into effect on Dec. 19, the letter said.
Johnson also promised to publish more data and set out what circumstances need to change for an area to be considered to move down a tier.
He gave assurance that Parliament will be given a full role as the government implements its plans to tackle the pandemic, and MPs will have access to the necessary data and evidence underlying the government’s decisions.
But he added, “That’s why we need the information necessary to show the government’s restrictions will do more good than harm, in full and in time. It is a modest request.”
He said restrictions will be de-escalated with every substantial reduction in infection, and that “Easter will mark a real end point and a real chance to return to something like life as normal.”