England bans gatherings of more than 6 as virus cases spike

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government is banning gatherings of more than six people in England, as officials try to keep a lid on daily new coronavirus infections after a sharp spike across the United Kingdom that has been largely blamed on party-going young adults disregarding social distancing rules.

Downing Street said urgent action was needed after the number of daily laboratory-confirmed positive cases hit nearly 3,000 on Sunday.

The figure dipped Tuesday to 2,460.

Officials said that starting Monday, the legal limit on all social gatherings in England will be reduced from the current 30 people to six.

The new law applies both indoors and outdoors, including private homes, restaurants and parks.

Failure to comply could result in a 100-pound fine.

Weddings, school, funerals and organised team sports are exempt, and larger gatherings will also be allowed if the household or “support bubble” is larger than six.

The UK has Europe’s worst death toll from the virus, with nearly 41,600 deaths within 28 days of testing positive.

The actual toll is believed to be far higher as the government tally does not include those who died without having been tested.

The spike in UK cases follows big daily case increases in Spain and France, both of whom have seen rising numbers of COVID-19 patients being hospitalised.

Spain saw an average of 8,800 new cases a day over the weekend, and France has been recording over 5,000 a day.

The worry is that the UK will also start seeing increases in virus patients being hospitalised and dying.

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