LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans on Saturday to shut down pubs, restaurants and most retail shops throughout England, a stark reversal in the face of grim projections that the country could face a deadly winter from the coronavirus unless it takes draconian action. Mr. Johnson presented the measures as part of a new tier of restrictions that will cover all of England. But the steps, which would take effect on Thursday and last until Dec. 2, amount to a nationwide lockdown — something Mr. Johnson resisted for weeks because of the damage he said it would do to the economy. “We’ve got to be humble in the face of nature,” Mr. Johnson said at a hastily called news conference at 10 Downing Street. “In this county, alas, as across much of Europe, the virus is spreading even faster than the reasonable worst-case scenarios of our scientific advisers.”The measures, announced after a tense day of meetings of Mr. Johnson’s cabinet, would bring England into line with France, Germany, Belgium, and Ireland, all of which have shut down large parts of their countries in recent days amid a rapid-fire resurgence in infections.

Source: New York Times October 31, 2020 13:12 UTC