UK Beaches Seen 'Flooded' With People After PM Johnson Relaxes Lockdown Restrictions

Thousands of people rushed to the UK¡¯s beaches this week, as summer season is on. However, social-distancing looked more like a dream than a mandatory safety protocol, as nobody bothered to maintain physical distance from each other.

People gathered in beaches, parks and other public areas to enjoy the country's hottest day of the year so far, on June 25.

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Reuters

Photographs from Southend on Sea and Bournemouth, show people flooding the beach (no pun intended). Some were sitting on the sand while others were enjoying the sea, but no one was seen practicing social-distancing.

Reuters

This incident happened just a day after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a change in social-distancing guidelines from two metres to 'one metre plus'.

Along with that, Johnson also announced the re-opening of pubs, restaurants, cinemas and hotels from July 4, as well as permission for two households to meet inside their homes.

Reuters (UK PM Boris Johnson)

Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, the prime minister said: ¡±Today we can say that our long national hibernation is beginning to come to an end and life is returning to our streets and shops. The bustle is starting to come back and a new but cautious optimism is palpable."

"But it would be all too easy for that frost to return. That¡¯s why we will continue to trust in the common sense and community spirit of the British people to follow this guidance, to carry us through and see us to victory over this disease.¡±

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Reuters

However, the relaxation of lockdown guidelines is not sitting well with independent scientists who are still stressing on the fact that it is too early to relax the lockdown. The government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, also said that new package of measure came bearing risks.

Reuters (Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and Chief Medical Officer for England, Chris Whitty)

Also speaking at Tuesday¡¯s Downing Street daily coronavirus briefing, chief medical officer Chris Whitty suggested that people returning to ¡°normal¡± behaviour would lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases.

¡°If people hear a distorted version of what¡¯s being said, that says ¡®this is all fine now, it¡¯s gone away¡¯ and start behaving in ways that they normally would have before this virus happened, yes, we will get an uptick for sure,¡± he said.

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