U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday that England will enter a six-week lockdown, as the spread of a highly contagious new coronavirus variant threatens to overwhelm the National Health Service.
Why it matters: It's England's third national lockdown, following the initial March restrictions during the start of the pandemic and a four-week "circuit-breaker" in November.
- Large portions of England had already been under various degrees of lockdown, and Scotland imposed a month-long national lockdown earlier on Monday. Wales and Northern Ireland have been under tight restrictions since December, and it's unclear whether a stricter lockdown will follow.
- A statement from the U.K.'s chief medical officers on Monday urged Johnson to move the U.K. COVID-19 alert level from "Level 4" to "Level 5," warning of a "material risk" of hospital systems being overwhelmed in the next 21 days.
Details: Under the new restrictions, people in England will be mandated to stay home until mid-February, with exceptions for leaving home for exercise, health care, shopping for necessities and avoiding domestic violence.
- Unlike the second national lockdown, schools and colleges will be closed and moved entirely to remote learning.
What they're saying: "We now have a new variant of the virus, and it’s been both frustrating and alarming to see the speed with which the new variant is spreading," Johnson said in a national address....
- "In England, we must therefore go into a national lockdown that is tough enough to contain this variant. That means the government is once again instructing you to stay at home."