COVID-19 New Strain: UK PM Boris Johnson Announces Lockdown Once Again

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a nationwide lockdown from Wednesday. This is to curb the spread of the new mutant strain of coronavirus. Britain has registered over 50,000 daily infections for seven consecutive days. Johnson added that schools will remain close and people are asked to stay as much as possible indoors till mid-February.

“As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more pressure from Covid than at any time since the start of the pandemic”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the number of Covid patients in hospital in England is 40% higher than the first peak in Aprilhttps://t.co/VHl4D892ss pic.twitter.com/w8KeYrxi2U

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) January 4, 2021

Johnson said, “I want to say to everyone right across the UK that I know how tough this is, and I know how frustrated you are, and I know that you’ve had more than enough of government guidance about defeating this virus,” Johnson said. “But now, more than ever, we must pull together.”

The PM added that under the stricter lockdown only the essential shops will remain open. Schools will be closed to all. Students will not be expected to return until at least after the February half term. Exams would not go ahead in the summer as planned.

People will be ordered to stay at home except for caring for vulnerable people, performing essential work, and buying food and medicine.

This is the third nation-wide lockdown since March 2020. It was re-imposed in November as cases rose.

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