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Deal approved, post-Brexit era begins for UK and EU
Several aspects of life are likely to change as new post-Brexit realities unfold. This will include higher prices in supermarkets and changes to Britons visiting EU member states
Britain was all geared up to enter a new era at 11pm local time on Thursday, emerging out of the European Union to embark on a new, uncertain post-Brexit journey.
“Covid loves a crowd, cancel parties” was the key message on a public information campaign on Thursday, the last day of 2020, urging Britons to usher in the New Year at home. For the first time since the April peak, the UK on Wednesday recorded nearly 1,000 Covid-19 deaths in a day and over 50,000 new cases.
The post-Brexit agreement between the UK and the EU struck last week received Britain’s royal nod and became law amid continuing debate about whether leaving the bloc is better for Britain’s prosperity.
Several aspects of life are likely to change as new post-Brexit realities unfold. This will include higher prices in supermarkets and changes to Britons visiting EU member states.
There will be a 90-day limit to their stay in any 180-day period, using queues for non-EU citizens at airports, and being asked by immigration officials to show return tickets and adequate funds for their stay.
The shadow of the pandemic still looms as millions of more Britons moved to the top Tier 4 Covid-19 alert system with the toughest curbs on Wednesday. Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, described the situation as “grim, depressing and perilous”.
UK PM Boris Johnson said, “We’ve got two big things happening at once in our fight against Covid. One is working for us; and one working against us. On the plus side, we have two valid vaccines and we are racing, as I say, to get them out.
“On the downside, there is a new strain of the virus which is spreading much faster and surging across the country. And we have seen a 40% increase in cases in England in the last week alone, almost 15% more patients in hospital - more than at the peak of the first wave.”
The UK PM’s father Stanley Johnson, meanwhile, confirmed plans on Thursday to seek French citizenship as the free movement of Britons in the EU comes to an end under the Brexit pact delivered by his son.
(With inputs from agencies)
