PM creates ‘rule of six’ for social gatherings in England to counter second Covid wave

Limit your social contact “as much as possible” at all times and keep to groups of no more than six. That’s the stark message from Boris Johnson as he outlined the new restrictions for England, saying they are vital to curb the new surge of coronavirus cases across the country.

There were stark words too from his chief medical officer, who warned that the time between now and spring will be “difficult”.

The latest figures show there have been another 2,659 confirmed coronavirus cases across the UK in the last 24 hours.

The number of deaths has gone up by eight to a total of 41,594.