In the UK, supermarket shelves are emptying. This is not due to Brexit, but to Corona. Or, to be more precise, the new “Pingdemic” that has hit the country.
Great Britain is currently experiencing what happens when many people are quarantined at the same time because of Corona: The country is currently facing very unexpected challenges. Several supermarkets are having problems filling their shelves, the British media reported on Thursday. Photos of the first empty shelves are circulating on social networks.
According to the BBC, in some places there is also no garbage cans being emptied. The police are also warning against long waiting times, as many forces are missing. In addition, petrol stations were closed due to staff shortages and schoolchildren were sent early for the summer vacation.
It is estimated that around 1.7 million British people are currently self-isolating because they are either sick with Covid-19 or have been “pinged” – i.e. by the English Corona app or the health service – as close contacts by infected people.
The media already have an expression for the phenomenon: “Pingdemic”
The “Pingdemic”, as the phenomenon is referred to by the British media, has sparked a debate about whether people who are fully vaccinated can escape compulsory quarantine and instead are allowed to test themselves daily. This regulation should apply from mid-August. So far, exceptions have only been made for participants in a pilot project or, for example, for employees of the health service. Many industries, including the British Retail Consortium and the meat industry, therefore demanded further exemptions for their employees.
And these demands have now been at least partially answered: In response to the increasingly critical situation, the British government under Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced short-term exemptions for employees in the grocery trade who had contact with people infected with corona. Downing Street announced late Thursday evening that employees in food distribution centers are now exempt from the obligation to self-isolate and must instead carry out regular corona tests.
Again more corona cases in Great Britain
In the UK, the number of infections has been rising again for weeks. This is mainly attributed to the strong spread of the highly contagious delta variant. In addition, the British government has now lifted almost all corona measures for most of England. The seven-day incidence was last given as 488 (as of July 17).
See in the video: The number of infections in Great Britain has recently risen continuously, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson is sticking to his opening strategy.
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