By Andrew MacAskill

LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is contemplating imposing a brand new month-long nationwide lockdown in England subsequent week after scientists warned the coronavirus was spreading sooner than their worst predictions, native media reported.

The pandemic is spreading in most components of Britain, the place the official demise toll of 46,299 is the very best in Europe.

Johnson is anticipated to carry a information convention on Monday to announce the brand new measures, which might permit solely important retailers and faculties, nurseries and universities to stay open, The Instances newspaper stated.

The brand new measures have been nonetheless underneath dialogue, and no last resolution had been made, the paper stated, citing a senior authorities supply.

The prime minister’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from Reuters.

At the moment, the federal government has a three-tier system of restrictions for native areas in England, with Degree three the very best. Scotland, Wales and North Eire run their very own insurance policies on preventing the pandemic.

A member of the federal government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) warned on Saturday that the virus was “working riot” throughout all age teams.

“For the naysayers that do not consider in a second wave, there’s a second wave,” Calum Semple, a professor of outbreak drugs on the College of Liverpool, informed the BBC.

“And in contrast to the primary wave, the place we had a nationwide lockdown which protected large swathes of society, this outbreak is now working riot throughout all age teams.”

A brand new lockdown would heap contemporary strain on finance minister Rishi Sunak and the Financial institution of England to extend their already large assist for the UK economic system, the world’s sixth-biggest. The economic system slumped a document 20% within the spring and has been struggling to take care of its restoration.

Within the present system, Tier three features a ban on mixing of individuals in several households, pubs and bars are closed, wedding ceremony receptions should not permitted, and journey to or from the world needs to be averted.

The federal government can also be contemplating harder regional measures, often called Tier 4, however ministers are stated to be in favour of a nationwide coverage, The Instances stated.

Some analysts have stated the regional restrictions on companies imposed in current weeks will trigger the economic system to contract once more within the fourth quarter and a nationwide lockdown would inflict larger harm.

The BoE is extensively anticipated to extend its bond-buying programme on Thursday for the third time for the reason that pandemic struck in March. Economists polled by Reuters largely predicted a 100 billion-pound top-up.

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Modifying by Frances Kerry)