a grim
but familiar ritual at the start of a
year
meant to herald more hopeful times since
the pandemic began last year
the whole united kingdom has been day
four of 2021
and a return to a national lockdown in
england
after the uk was moved into the highest
covert alert level
that means the nhs is at risk of being
overwhelmed
unless action is taken after a 30
increase in covet patients in hospitals
in england
in the last week with most of the
country already under extreme measures
it's clear that we need to do more
together to bring this new variant under
control
while our vaccines are rolled out
in england we must therefore go into a
national lockdown
which is tough enough to contain this
variant
that means the government is once again
instructing you to stay at home
the changes in england to become law
early on wednesday morning
will last until the middle of next month
during an emergency
recall of the commons on wednesday mps
will vote retrospectively on the changes
to
close all schools and colleges to all
pupils apart from children of
key workers and vulnerable children
most university students will also not
be able to return to university
nurseries will remain open
introduce a reinforced stay at home
message
along the lines of the rules from last
march with limited exemptions
such as going out to exercise and doing
essential shopping
everyone must work at home unless
impossible to do so
and banning outside sport though elite
sport
will continue announcing a near reprise
of the stringent measures of last spring
goes against every fiber in boris
johnson's
libertarian being as recently as
yesterday
he had hoped to keep schools open a
little longer
but a journey he knew he would soon have
to embark on
was hastened as the prime minister was
presented today
with overwhelming evidence of the spread
of the new coronavirus strain
across the country and there will be
tough new restrictions
in other parts of the uk we have decided
to introduce
from midnight tonight for the duration
of january
a legal requirement to stay at home
except for essential purposes
this is similar to the lockdown of march
last year
a former health secretary who had called
for a national lockdown earlier in the
day
welcomed the prime minister's
announcement this new strain has been
pretty unpredictable
and you know in fairness to to make this
announcement on the very
day that everyone has sent their
children back to school
shows someone who is prepared to take
extremely difficult decisions
in the middle of a pandemic and he won't
have done so lightly at all so i would
rather not sort of jump on the bandwagon
and say it's too late and he's changed
his mind because actually i want a prime
minister
who looks at the evidence
dispassionately
and takes tough difficult even
embarrassing decisions
if it's the right thing to do to get a
pandemic under control
labour accused the prime minister of
acting too slowly
we were warned right at the start of
this from the world health organization
act quickly act with speed johnson he
sort of divers he delays and he's always
the last
to grasp the seriousness of the
situation where you're in we started
yesterday he was on the bbc
saying uh schools are safe tonight he's
saying schools are a major vector
in transmission of of the virus i mean
i mean he's just ricocheting around like
like he hasn't got a grip
but you know leaving that aside he's
done the right thing in
imposing a national lockdown it's not
only the distance a former government
chief scientific advisor
had earlier forecast the need for action
they're more transmissible the tighter
the restrictions that are needed
and i i i someone said that we need to
all act as though we were infected and
we just have to keep apart
as far as we possibly can a quiet start
to the year
with little hustle on our high streets
soon
they will be even quieter leaving room
for others to roam