Nicola Sturgeon says the majority of schools in Scotland will now not return until 11th January, with online learning extended until the 18th, adding that there will be an earlier return for the children of key workers. Get live COVID19 updates:
Wales brings forward toughest restrictions and changes Christmas rulesLive reporting by Alan McGuinness, political reporterRetailers in England are"staring into the abyss" after parts of the country were placed in a niew Tier 4 of COVID-19 restrictions, industry leaders have said.
The British Retail Consortium said that the government's"stop-start" approach to regulations was"deeply unhelpful". Nicola Sturgeon says Level 4 measures will be applied to all of mainland Scotland for three weeks from Boxing Day.Nicola Sturgeon says people should"lift their guard again" if they have been a bit more lax in following the rules recently.
The first minister says there is"no evidence" to suggest the strain causes more serious illness and will impact upon the effectiveness of the vaccine, but adds that it could see an increase in the R number if left unchecked. "It is therefore right that the government has acted quickly to avert significant extra deaths and levels of harm.""The infection rates are going up very, very fast and so something has to be done," the Labour leader says in reaction to the PM's news conference."But millions of families across the country are going to be heartbroken by this news, having their Christmas plans ripped up.
"This will mean non-essential retail, close contact services, gyms and leisure centres and hospitality will close at the end of trading today."Unfortunately, we must also look again at the arrangements for Christmas – we cannot expose people to the risk of this new, more virulent strain of coronavirus.
"All he wants to do is to lock the whole country down," said the PM."He is a one-club golfer; that is the only solution he has." "So it is only right that if the Government were to seek to change them that must also be approved by a vote in the House of Commons in advance." It was the economist John Maynard Keynes who famously said:"When the facts change, I change my mind."Although, on second thoughts, after the Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s spending splurge this year, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, after all.
And as he read his opening statement, the Prime Minister looked and sounded hesitant and nervous. He was sombre and muted, deflated. And well he might be.Surely, this was the most solemn public statement Boris Johnson has ever given. The colour - never particularly rosy - appeared drained from his face.
First, a national lockdown in late November, then Tier 2, then Tier 3 with a five-day Christmas break and now Tier 4 with no Christmas relaxation. He says the understanding of the transmissibility of the new strain of COVID-19 has"radically shifted in the last 24 hours" and ministers had to act. Mr Johnson stresses again that"of course we bitterly regret that this is necessary this year", but he reiterates that his message to people is that acting now will pay dividends in the longer term.
Professor Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, says his advice to people trying to get out of London and the South East before the new restrictions come into force at midnight would be"unpack" their bags. The prime minister stresses that when the virus changes its method of"attack", so the country must change its method of"defence".Boris Johnson says"Christmas this year will be different, very different, but we must be realistic."
Mr Johnson says initial indications are that it is 70% more transmissible than the original variant of the disease and stresses that the government has to act.Latest coronavirus figures
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