People in England will be told to stay at home as the country is placed under another national lockdown on Thursday - with the closure of hospitality and non-essential shops.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new coronavirus restrictions - which are set to last until December 2 - at a press conference this evening.
Pubs, bars and restaurants will close, though takeaways will be allowed, and all non-essential retail will be shut.
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The restrictions will be similar to those introduced at the start of the pandemic in March, however, this time schools and universities are expected to remain open.
People will still be able to exercise outdoors and travel to work if they cannot work from home, though restrictions on international travel are likely to be introduced.
MPs will vote on the new measures before they are introduced at 00.01 on Thursday, and when they lapse, the current tier system will be reintroduced.
The introduction of national restrictions marks a dramatic shift in Government policy, as the Prime Minister has until now resisted pressure to reintroduce nationwide restrictions.
It comes after new data showed the extent of cases across England. The Office for National Statistics estimated that 568,100 people in households were infected with coronavirus in the week ending October 23.
Members of the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) have backed the introduction of more stringent measures.
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Professor Sir Jeremy Farrar said the consequences of sticking with the current "insufficient" restrictions would be "much worse" than going for a second lockdown.
The director of the Wellcome Trust said: "The sooner we act, the sooner we can start to recover. It will be a very difficult few weeks now and no one can underestimate the toll that will take on people.
"But the consequences of sticking with the current insufficient restrictions would have been much worse."
