![Social distances](/index.php/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2020-09/Britain%27s%20Health%20Secretary%20Matt%20Hancock%20and%20NHS%20staff%20stand%20on%20marks%20on%20the%20ground%20in%20London.jpg?itok=K4-La96j)
LONDON, Sept 9 (NNN-Xinhua) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a ban on social gatherings of more than six people in England to curb the spread of COVID-19, local media reported Wednesday.
New measures reducing the maximum number of social gatherings from 30 to six — both indoors and outdoors, including private homes, parks, pubs and restaurants — are set to come into force from Monday, Sept. 14, according to reports.
The ban will not apply to “schools, workplaces or COVID-secure weddings, funerals and organised team sports,” the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported.
The Downing Street press conference on Wednesday is “hastily-arranged” due to a spike in the number of people infected with the virus, according to a local newspaper.
A total of 2,988 new infections were reported on Sunday, the largest daily increase since May, government data showed.
The latest data by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University shows the country’s total infections topped 354,900 with 41,675 deaths.