Labour Leader Calls COVID-19 Situation In UK 'National Crisis,' Calls For Clear Strategy

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2020) UK Labour Party leader Keir Starmer on Tuesday called the epidemiological situation in the country and its impact on the economy and other spheres a "national crisis," pointing to the need to develop a clear strategy.

Earlier in the day, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a set of new restrictions for England, citing the spike in the coronavirus hospitalizations. According to the prime minister, hospitalizations in England have more than doubled recently. The new rules are expected to remain in place for six months.

"Farmers across the country will be anxious today. Many [are] already living under local lockdowns. Many more fear that soon they will. They are worried about their jobs, about their loved ones and whether they will be able to spend Christmas with their families.

They will also be worried that the government does not have a clear strategy ... This is a time of national crisis and we need clear leadership," Starmer told the UK parliament.

The lawmaker also said that the party supported the new restrictions, noting at the same time that all these measures could be avoided if the government fixed the testing and tracing capacity months ago.

Over the past two weeks, the government has faced criticism over failings in the country's Test and Trace service, which has been fraught with delays. Individuals have also reportedly been instructed to travel hundreds of miles in order to receive a COVID-19 test.