Johnson warns Covid restrictions could last six months after ‘perilous turning point’ reached

This is England for the next six months: work from home wherever possible.

Pubs and restaurants shut at 10pm. No live sport. Smaller weddings. And no social groups bigger than six.

Welcome to the new Covid world, as Boris Johnson warns: “For the time being, this virus is a fact of our lives”.

Meanwhile, Scotland is going even further – banning people across the country from visiting anyone else in their homes.

Today’s official figures show a sharp rise in confirmed new cases, up by 4,926 in the last 24 hours.

A further 37 deaths have been reported in the UK, taking the total to 41,825, while the numbers in hospital are ticking up too.