The first case within the United Kingdom was reported on January 31, 2020. Cases reached a peak around April/May, and since then, there was a steady decline and a stable period prior to September. Since then, cases have been steadily increasing, to even higher levels than the previous peak. It was recommended that schools close, but it was not required. As they began their reopening plan in May, they asked everyone who could work from home to do so, and all essential workers were encouraged to avoid public transportation whenever possible. By July 4th, most public places were open once again, with social distancing required. As of July 24th, there is a mask requirement. As of September 22nd, you are allowed to gather in social groups of up to 15 people, and businesses in the leisure sector are allowed to open, but they must close before 10 PM. They spend millions of dollars in funding the NHS (National Health Services) and charities, supporting businesses, and attempting to help ensure that workers are still able to receive at least 80% of their pay. From the Our World in Data site, they earned a score of 63.89 out of 100 for stringency on covid restrictions issued by the government. “The nine metrics used to calculate the Government Stringency Index are: school closures; workplace closures; cancellation of public events; restrictions on public gatherings; closures of public transport; stay-at-home requirements; public information campaigns; restrictions on internal movements; and international travel controls. … A higher score indicates a stricter government response (i.e. 100 = strictest response)(Our World in Data).” Along with this interesting data table, there are multiple different sets of data highlighting different areas of policy in terms of Covid response. During the late summer, it appeared as though the UK was through their worst days, and was beginning to make a strong recovery, but as of October 1st 2020, their cases have seen a large spike to higher than what they ever experienced in the spring, and they will likely need to bring back some of their stronger restrictions.
