A minister has warned people in parts of England where there have been confirmed cases of South Africa variant coronavirus that they should stay home,
The Government has launched a surge testing project to find 80,000 people and see if they have the new mutation of Covid-19.
A Government minister said on Tuesday morning that people should seriously consider whether they need to leave their homes in these areas.
Universities Minister Michelle Donelan told Sky News: "We’re all in a lockdown. But I think the message is think again just before you go about activities, even those that are within the rules such as essential shopping.
“Do you really need to go for that shopping or have you got enough in?
“Could you work from home? Could you have that extra conversation with your employer?
“And make sure you get the test.
“It’s about reinforcing the rules that are in place as well. It’s easy for people to become complacent.”
Ms Donelan said the strategy is to "contain" the variant entirely - something that has repeatedly failed in the UK in the past. She added it was "deeply concerning".
The eight areas are: Southport (PR9), Walsall (WS2), Ealing (W7), Tottenham (N17), Mitcham (CR4), Broxbourne (EN10), Maidstone (ME15) and Woking (GU21).
Agents will be going from door to door in these areas offering a Covid test.
Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, said it may be possible for people to become infected with the South African variant even if they have had Covid-19 in the past.
She told BBC Breakfast: “That is something that is causing concern around the world.
“In Brazil where there is a different variant – which was badly hit in the first wave – there was a lot of reinfection there and that’s what also seems to potentially be the case with this variant in South Africa.
“South Africa is a country that has really struggled during this pandemic and we have had rates on reinfection there.
“If someone in the UK has been infected with Sars-CoV-2 and become unwell with Covid-19 in the past, it might be potentially, if they come into contact with this variant, they may become unwell again.
“That’s why it’s really important to do this surge testing and try and find the cases and support people to self-isolate.”
