On Saturday, London police detained 60 people during a protest against quarantine and vaccinations.
Police have previously lined up several streets in the West End shopping district in central London and confronted crowds of protesters in St. James’s Park, near Westminster. The isolation protesters were joined by anti-COVID-19 vaccine groups.
One police officer praised 300 to 400 protesters holding posters that read “Defend Freedom, Defend Humanity”.
“Crowds continue to protest and gather around Oxford Circus and Regent Street,” Metropolitan Police said on Twitter. “We urge people to leave the area and return home. Otherwise, you may face arrest or coercive measures,” reports Reuters .
The current quarantine in England, which was introduced for a month, ends on December 2. On Saturday, the British government appointed a minister for vaccines. Nadhim Zahavi will oversee the country’s largest vaccination program in decades, starting shortly.
The Guardian newspaper reported that hospitals can receive the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the week of December 7, if approved.
The UK says it will be the first to vaccinate health workers and nursing home residents, followed by seniors starting with those over 80.
The UK has ordered 40 million doses of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, enough for 20 million people, and 100 million doses of Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine.
Overall, the UK government has agreed to purchase up to 355 million doses of the vaccine from seven different manufacturers as it prepares to vaccinate as many of the nation’s 67 million people as possible. The British government hopes that the combination of vaccine and mass testing will eliminate the need for restrictions on business and daily life imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The UK has experienced the deadliest COVID-19 outbreak in Europe, with more than 57,000 virus-related deaths confirmed.
Earlier it was reported that France, Germany, and the UK will ease the quarantine during the Christmas holidays. However, ski resorts are unlikely to receive visitors this year, as there will be restrictions on gatherings of large numbers of people.
