Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, announced Britain's third lock down since the outbreak of the corona virus late last night. Johnson said that the new strain of the virus, which first appeared in the United Kingdom, is spreading very quickly.
In light of the risk that hospitals could reach maximum capacity during the coming period, the government ordered citizens to stay at home, and indicated that more efforts should be made to try to contain the virus before vaccinations. Medical officials have warned that the National Health Service may have its hands full within 3 weeks.
The number of infections in England alone reached about 27 thousand people, which is 40% higher than it was during the first peak of infections last April.
Johnson warned of the coming weeks, as he announced a plan to vaccinate the 13.9 million people most vulnerable to infection by mid-February, before considering easing restrictions again. Britain has begun rolling out two corona virus vaccines, one made by Pfizer and Biontech and the other from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca - more than a million people had already received their first dose.
The specific measures Johnson announced apply to England, but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have imposed similar measures as well.
Michael Gove, UK Cabinet Secretary, said Finance Minister Rishi Sunak will announce more support for companies on Tuesday, after publishing a series of very costly programs since March to stave off a complete economic meltdown.
