A three-tier lockdown system was announced for England in October, but the Prime Minister has now announced the system will be replaced by a full national lockdown starting Thursday. During a Downing Street press conference, Boris Johnson insisted the measures introduced will not be as strict as the full lockdown introduced in March of this year.
What are the second lockdown rules?
When lockdown restrictions come into place this week, people will have to stay at home.
Reasons to leave home which are considered essential include:
- For education
- For work, if you cannot work from home
- For exercise and recreation outdoors, with your household or on your own with one person from another household
- For medical reasons, appointments and to escape injury or harm
- To shop for food and essentials
- And to provide care for vulnerable people, or as a volunteer.
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Supermarkets, medical centres, pharmacies, and garden centres will be allowed to stay open during the lockdown.
Certain essential services, such as post offices and banks, are also likely to stay open during lockdown.
Restaurants and food outlets will be allowed to offer takeaway and delivery services only during this time.
During the second lockdown, schools and universities will also be allowed to stay open this time around.
But Cabinet Minister Michael Gove has acknowledged the lockdown measures may remain in place for longer than four weeks.
When asked on Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday if the lockdown measures could be extended past December 2, Mr Gove said “yes”.
Mr Gove said: “We want to be in a position where we can – and I believe that this is likely to be the case – have an approach where if we bring down the rate of infection sufficiently we can reduce measures nationally and also reduce measures regionally.
“Because the regional approach is one that, wherever possible, we want to take because again we recognise it may be the case in the future that having reduced R below 1, having reduced national restrictions, we may see a specific upsurge in specific areas which will require specific regional measures.”
