Rising COVID-19 cases: England and Scotland put under new lockdown

Everyone in England must stay at home except for permitted reasons during a new coronavirus lockdown which is likely expected to last until mid-February, according to Downing Street, a BBC report said.

The new rules said that all schools and colleges will by and large remained closed to most pupils and will switch to remote learning from Tuesday.

Johnson warned that the coming weeks would be the "hardest yet" amid the surge in the number of cases and patient numbers.

He said those in the top four priority groups would be offered a first dose of the vaccine by the middle of next month, which include all care home residents and their care givers, people aged 70 and above, all frontline health and social care workers, and the clinically extremely vulnerable will be offered one dose of a vaccine by mid-February.

Earlier Scotland issued a stay-at-home order and Wales said schools and colleges would shut until January 18 for most pupils, while schools in Northern Ireland will have an "extended period of remote learning".

Speaking from Downing Street, Johnson told the public to follow the new lockdown rules immediately, before they become law in the early hours of Wednesday, adding that he believed the country was entering "the last phase of the struggle".