The country has been told once again to “stay at home” as part of a national lockdown similar to that of last March announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday.
From Tuesday, the raft of tough new measures come in the face of rising COVID-19 cases, pressure on the NHS and a new variant of the virus – including a full lockdown similar to that of last March.
During a statement on Monday night Mr Johnson said the new variant was “bothfrustratingandalarming”.
“AsIspeaktoyoutonight,ourhospitalsareundermorepressurefromCOVIDthananytimesincethestartofthepandemic,” he said.
The government believes the move is now needed because the spread of the new variant of COVID-19 has led to rapidly escalating case numbers across the country.
The new virus is now between 50-70% more transmissable, and deaths have risen by almost 20%.
Mr Johnson said the government would provide support to schools including those facing delayed exams.
He said, however, there was one difference this time round, the roll-out of the new vaccines, and shared his hopes that that would help end the lockdown sooner.
He added: “I really do believe thatwe’reenteringthelastphaseofthestrugglebecausewitheveryjobthatgoesintoourarmstiltingtheoddsagainstCOVID andinfavouroftheBritishpeople.”
If all was successful and people behaved, he said, he hoped the lockdown would begin to end after February half-term with a return to the tiering system.
On Monday, national cases increased by 58,784 to 2,713,563 – the highest daily case number ever recorded – while deaths rose by 407 to 75,431.
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates up to January 4.
The UK COVID-19 Alert Level has moved from Level 4 to Level 5 due to the number of cases rising and a risk of healthcare services being overwhelmed.
There were 501 new coronavirus cases and five COVID-related deaths reported in Greater Lincolnshire including 407 new cases in Lincolnshire, 54 in North Lincolnshire and 40 in North East Lincolnshire.
Scotland and Northern Ireland entered similar lockdowns too.
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Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
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