Scotland and England join the rest of the UK in lockdown

Lockdowns in England and Scotland begin today, with the majority of people advised to stay at home.

The two nations join the rest of the UK which are still in lockdown, Wales since the 20th of December and Northern Ireland since the 26th of December.

More details of the third lockdown for England are thought to be clarified in a press conference with the Prime Minister, Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance, at 5 pm this evening.

Reviews of the restrictions will commence at the end of the month for Scotland and mid-February for England.

This comes as most schools in Great Britain have now been closed and exams such as GCSEs and A-Levels due later this year have been cancelled.

Tomorrow in the House of Commons, Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, will reveal how children in England will be "fairly assessed" under these new lockdown rules, Michael Gove announced.

According to government officials, it is thought that with the continued roll-out of the coronavirus vaccines, the period of restrictions will be shorter and easier.

These new lockdown measures come as the latest variant of COVID-19 continues to grapple the UK, and the number of recorded cases yesterday reached over 58,000.