Coronavirus news: First UK local lockdown imposed in Leicester as WHO chief warns pandemic ‘not even close to being over’

Britain’s first local lockdown has been imposed in Leicester by the government after a surge in coronavirus cases in the city.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said schools and non-essential retail shops will have to close again, while existing anti-coronavirus measures would be extended for at least two weeks longer than the rest of the country.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, has called the pandemic a “disaster” for the UK and made it clear he wants to boost infrastructure spending to help the economy.

Globally, the death toll for Covid-19 has topped half a million, while more than 10 million people have tested positive for the virus.

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