[ad_1]
Boris Johnson will hold a briefing on COVID-19 later today, after England went into lockdown for the second time.
The Prime Minister will be accompanied at 5:00 pm in Downing Street by Sir Simon Stevens, Executive Director of NHS England.
No new measures are expected to be announced, but the pair will reflect on the new restrictions that came into play today and are scheduled to last for four weeks.
Non-essential pubs, bars, restaurants and shops are now closed for a four-week period in an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19.
People have also been told to stay home, except when going to school, college, work, or shopping for food.
The appearance of the prime minister will arrive hours later Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that the licensing regime, at 80%, will be extended until March.
Yesterday Sir Simon announced that NHS England would be placed under the highest incident alert level – four – as of today as hospitals are struggling to cope with a growing number of COVID-19 patients in need of intensive care.
Level four means that NHS England will take over the coordination of the health service response to the pandemic, in collaboration with local commissioners.
The general public will not see any difference if you use the NHS, but it means that England’s general NHS body has had to take charge to ensure that all services are adequately supported.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Earlier today, Attorney General Robert Buckland told Sky News that Kay Burley England’s coronavirus lockdown could extend beyond Dec. 2, even though Johnson is determined that it will end then.
“We have to follow the evidence,” he said.
“If there is not going to be an extension of this, we go back to the tiered system anyway, so we would go regionally or locally.
“Nothing can be ruled out in this crisis and the prime minister has said so from day one.”
Johnson has said that after the lockdown ends in early December, the plan is for England to return to the regional-level system guided by the rate of COVID-19 cases, hospital admissions and deaths in specific areas.
