A new four-week lockdown has begun in England, with people told to stay at home and non-essential shops, pubs and gyms ordered to close.
The new rules ban households from mixing indoors or in private gardens, unless in a support bubble.
Police have warned that people who commit the most “egregious” breaches of the rules will face stiff fines.
The lockdown will “expire automatically” on 2 December, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.
As the new rules came into force, the head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) called for an urgent extension of the government’s furlough scheme – which pays 80% of workers’ wages – until the spring to prevent job losses.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to make a statement in the House of Commons outlining what economic support will be available to businesses and jobs during the lockdown.
He is expected to confirm employees on furlough will receive 80% of their salaries if their workplaces have been shut down, and likely to guarantee furlough funding for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland if the devolved administrations bring in their own lockdowns.
Newspaper reports have suggested the chancellor will announce an extension of furlough beyond December.
Meanwhile, the Bank of England is to pump an extra £150bn into the economy amid a resurgence in Covid-19 cases. It has left interest rates on hold at a record low of 0.1%.
On Wednesday, MPs backed the new lockdown which aims to combat a surge in coronavirus cases.
The lockdown, which came into effect at midnight, replaces the three tiers of regional restrictions that were previously in place across England. MPs are set to vote on the next steps needed to tackle the virus before the four weeks are up on 2 December.
Mr Johnson told MPs that a second lockdown was “not something any of us wanted to do” but insisted the restrictions represented “the best and safest path for our country”.
On Wednesday, the UK recorded a further 492 coronavirus deaths – the highest daily figure since 19 May – and 25,177 confirmed cases.
Under the new restrictions, people should stay at home except for specific reasons including education and work (if it cannot be done from home).
All non-essential retailers, leisure and entertainment venues must shut, with pubs and restaurants told to close except for takeaways.BBC
