England has entered its toughest lockdown since March.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the country would be entering a third national lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a televised address to the nation on Monday night, the Prime Minister told the nation to stay indoors other than for limited exceptions, with measures expected to last until mid-February.
Mr Johnson said the new variant, which is up to 70% more transmissible, was spreading in a "frustrating and alarming" manner and warned that the number of Covid patients in English hospitals is 40% higher than the first peak.
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The Prime Minister bowed to significant pressure to order primary schools, secondaries and colleges to move to remote teaching for the majority of students from Tuesday.
But vulnerable children and the children of critical workers are permitted to return to school.
The people who are considered critical workers is similar to those defined as such in previous lockdowns.
Everyone classed as a critical worker
The government states people who work in the following sectors are critical workers:
- Health and social care - this includes, but is not limited to, doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers
- Teachers, school support staff, childcare staff, social workers and other specialist educational professionals
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Those essential to the running of the justice system
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Religious staff
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Charities and workers delivering key frontline service
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Those responsible for the management of the deceased
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Journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting
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Essential public services and those workers on the Covid-19 response in local and national government
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Food processing, production, distribution, sale and delivery workers
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Police and support staff
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Firefighters
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Border security, National Crime Agency staff, contractors and Armed Forces personnel
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Transport workers - this includes those who keep air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport operating during the coronavirus pandemic
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Staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure)
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The oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage)
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Information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response
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Key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services)
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Postal services and delivery
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Payments providers
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Waste disposal sectors.
