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'Stay at home': Boris Johnson plunges whole of England into lockdown

Watch: Boris Johnson announces new national lockdown for England

  • England once again plugged into national lockdown

  • Boris Johnson in TV address: ‘The government is once again instructing you to stay at home’

  • PM says full lockdown needed to bring new COVID variant ‘under control’ and ease pressure on hospitals

  • He returns to previous mantra of ‘stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives’

  • School closures announced... just nine hours after Johnson insisted ‘schools are safe’

  • PM suggests new measures could last until mid-February at earliest, amid expectation vaccines will eventually provide escape from recurring lockdowns

  • Visit the Yahoo homepage for more stories

Boris Jonson has imposed a three national lockdown on England.

In a televised address to the nation on Monday evening, the prime minister said surging infections meant a lockdown “tough enough” to contain the new coronavirus variant was needed.

He said: “Our hospitals are under more pressure from COVID than at any time since the start of the pandemic.

“It’s clear that we need to do more together to bring this new variant under control while our vaccines are rolled out.”

Echoing words he used when imposing the first national lockdown on 23 March 2019, Johnson said: “The government is once again instructing you to stay at home.”

Boris Johnson imposes a third national lockdown on England during a televised address in Downing Street on Monday. (PA)
Boris Johnson imposes a second national lockdown on England during a televised address in Downing Street on Monday. (PA)

Under the lockdown, which Johnson suggested would last until mid-February at the earliest, people will only be allowed to leave their homes for a limited number of reasons, including shopping for essentials, going to work if they cannot work from home, exercising, seeking medical advice and providing care.