Chris Whitty concerned Brits will not follow new restrictions if needed

CHIEF Medical Officer Chris Whitty fears Brits will not obey new restrictions if they are needed.

And he is more concerned about the Delta variant — which drove up cases to their highest level in a month yesterday — than the strain in Africa.

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Mr Whitty, said: “My greatest worry at the moment is that if we need to do something more muscular, whether it is for the current new variant or at some later stage, can we still take people with us?”

And he told a meeting of council chiefs: “It’s easier to be confident of people’s response at the beginning than it is after two years of their lives being interfered with.”

But he was confident of maintaining support so long as the public feel “we are being entirely straight as to all the data”.

Another 50,091 cases were reported yesterday, up by 13 per cent in a week and the highest since October 21. There were 160 more deaths. But the number of virus patients in hospitals dropped to 7,633 — down by 2,000 since the start of November.

Almost a third of Brits have had a booster and 80 per cent are double-jabbed.