As of Thursday, the UK has gone back into lockdown, with many shops, bars and restaurants closing if they do not offer take away but schools remaining open.
This has had mixed effects across the country. In Manchester, where the University put up fencing to prevent mixing within the buildings, students described this as making them feel “trapped”, with several telling the BBC that it was like they were “in a prison.” These were torn down during protests on Thursday and removed completely by the university later on.
In government, the lockdown has been a divisive issue. Parliament voted on the measures on Wednesday, in which 34 MPs rebelled, mostly due to civil rights that they believe are being imposed upon, but also due to concerns for the economy and employment. Labour, however, voted with the government, winning the vote by 516 to 39.
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak has revealed that the furlough scheme will be extended to May. This scheme means the government will pay 80% of a person’s wages, up until £2,500. Support for self-employed people has also increased to cover 80% of profits.
This lockdown comes after the failure of the government’s three tier system. Hopefully, it should ensure that cases stay low while not disrupting education as the previous lockdown did.
Written by Anna Male
Artwork by Sophia Patterson
Comments