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| Coronavirus: PM warns UK faces 'medical and moral disaster' without action | Coronavirus: PM warns UK faces 'medical and moral disaster' without action |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The UK faces a "medical and moral disaster" unless tough action is taken now to stop the spread of coronavirus, the prime minister has warned. | The UK faces a "medical and moral disaster" unless tough action is taken now to stop the spread of coronavirus, the prime minister has warned. |
| Boris Johnson told MPs that there was "no alternative" but to introduce a lockdown in England - which is due to come into force on Thursday. | |
| He outlined the rules ahead of a Commons vote on Wednesday. | |
| Labour's leader accused the PM of a "catastrophic failure of leadership" over No 10's handling of the pandemic. | |
| Sir Keir Starmer criticised the government's "inaction" and said it meant "the lockdown will be harder, longer and more damaging than it needed to be". | |
| He confirmed his party would support the government in Wednesday's vote, but called for the four-week period to be used to "fix the broken track and trace system and give control to local authorities". | |
| On Saturday, the prime minister announced pubs, restaurants, gyms, non-essential shops and places of worship would be closed. | |
| Outlining support for businesses and jobs, Mr Johnson told MPs that as well as extending the furlough scheme, the government will double its support from 40% to 80% of trading profits for the self-employed from next month. | |
| What are the latest lockdown plans? | |
| Lockdown 2.0: Your questions answered | |
| How many Covid cases are there in your area? | |
| In his Commons statement, Mr Johnson said there was "no alternative" but to introduce national restrictions in light of the latest coronavirus data. | |
| He said: "Faced with these latest figures, there is no alternative but to take further action at a national level." | He said: "Faced with these latest figures, there is no alternative but to take further action at a national level." |
| He insisted it was "right to try every possible option" before imposing a nationwide lockdown, and rejected criticism that the UK had been slower to act that other countries in Europe. | He insisted it was "right to try every possible option" before imposing a nationwide lockdown, and rejected criticism that the UK had been slower to act that other countries in Europe. |
| The prime minister warned of the "medical and moral disaster" the nation faces if the NHS was allowed to be "overwhelmed". | The prime minister warned of the "medical and moral disaster" the nation faces if the NHS was allowed to be "overwhelmed". |
| He said: "Doctors and nurses could be forced to choose which patients to treat, who would live and who would die", posing what he called an "existential threat" to the health service. | He said: "Doctors and nurses could be forced to choose which patients to treat, who would live and who would die", posing what he called an "existential threat" to the health service. |
| "If we fail to get coronavirus under control, it is the sheer weight of demand from Covid patients that would deprive others of the care they need. Cancer treatment, heart surgery, other life-saving procedures, all this could be put at risk if we do not get the virus under control." | "If we fail to get coronavirus under control, it is the sheer weight of demand from Covid patients that would deprive others of the care they need. Cancer treatment, heart surgery, other life-saving procedures, all this could be put at risk if we do not get the virus under control." |
| The PM said the government would continue to do everything it could to support businesses and jobs during lockdown. | |
| What are the new restrictions in England? | |
| People will be told to stay at home except for specific reasons | |
| These include work which cannot be done from home, childcare or education, exercise outdoors, medical reasons, essential shopping, providing care for vulnerable people or for volunteering, and visiting members of your support bubble | |
| Meeting indoors or in private gardens will not be allowed, but individuals can meet one other person from another household outside in a public place. Children under school age and those dependent on round-the-clock care who are with their parents do not count towards the two-person limit | |
| Non-essential retail will close, but can remain open for click-and-collect delivery | |
| Pubs, bars, restaurants will have to close, but can still provide takeaway and delivery, excluding takeaway of alcohol | |
| Indoor and outdoor leisure facilities, such as gyms and swimming pools, will also close, along with entertainment venues and personal care facilities such as beauty salons | |
| Places of worship will close, unless they are being used for funerals, to broadcast acts of worship, individual prayer, formal childcare, or essential services such as blood donation or food banks | |
| Construction sites and manufacturing workplaces can remain open | |
| Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies will not be able to take place except in exceptional circumstances, and funerals will be limited to a maximum of 30 people | |
| Children will still be able to move between homes if their parents are separated | |
| Clinically vulnerable people will be asked to be "especially careful" but people will not be asked to resume shielding | |
| Overnight stays, staying in a second home, and holidays will not be allowed - including in the UK and abroad - although there are exceptions, such as work trips | |
| People will be told to avoid all non-essential travel by private or public transport |