PEOPLE everywhere in England should follow the rules of a new national lockdown “from now” says Prime Minister Boris Johnson, addressing the nation this evening.

The regulations mean staying at home for work and education, leaving only to do essential shopping, to exercise or to attend medical appointments.

Schools are being told to close from tomorrow and move to online learning, and are not expected to open until after the February half term.

Alternative arrangements will be made for this year’s GCSE and A Level exams.

The clinically extremely vulnerable are being advised to shield once more.

The Prime Minister said the government aimed to have the four most vulnerable groups vaccinated by the end of February – care home residents, the over 70s, front line health and social care staff, and the clinically extremely vulnerable.

Unlike the first lockdown in March 2020, support bubbles can be formed or remain in place where people have made them.

Mr Johnson spoke of the seriousness of the new variant of the coronavirus, which he said was 50 - 70% more transmissible than the original strain of Covid-19.

The number of patients in hospital with coronavirus has rised by a third to 27,000, and the rate threatens to overwhelm the NHS within 21 days, said the Prime Minister.

Ending his speech on a note of hope, Mr Johnson reminded the public that unlike last Spring, we now have the promise of a vaccine.

But getting two million doses of the vaccination to those who are due to receive it first within the next eight weeks is a huge logistical undertaking.