Boris Johnson to announce new emergency Covid measures tonight - this is everything we know so far, including when he will address the nation

The Prime Minister is due to address the nation at 8pm following growing calls for a national lockdown, including the closure of schools.

The televised address was announced after former health secretary Jeremy Hunt today called for an immediate third national lockdown, with schools and borders closing and a complete ban on household mixing.

The 22 areas of Sheffield where infections have doubled this week as third lockdown looms

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today confirmed the nation will go into lockdown from tomorrow for the rest of January, with a legal requirement to stay at home and schools closed to most pupils until February.

A Downing Street spokesman said the new meaures being announced tonight were in response to the ‘rapidly escalating’ numbers of infections following the emergence of the new Covid-19 variant.

Tonight’s statement will be followed by the recall of parliament on Wednesday so MPs can debate the measures.

A No 10 spokesman said: “The spread of the new variant of Covid-19 has led to rapidly escalating case numbers across the country.

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“The Prime Minister is clear that further steps must now be taken to arrest this rise and to protect the NHS and save lives.”

Mr Hunt tweeted earlier today: “Time to act: thread on why we need to close schools, borders, and ban all household mixing RIGHT AWAY.

“To those arguing winter is always like this in the NHS: you are wrong. I faced four serious winter crises as Health Sec and the situation now is off-the-scale worse than any of those.”

The new measures come after fresh data showed a 41 per cent rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus patients in hospital in England between Christmas Day and January 3, figures which have caused alarm in Whitehall and the health service.

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Speaking during a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London, Mr Johnson said: “If you look at the numbers there’s no question we will have to take tougher measures and we will be announcing those in due course.”

ITV reporter Robert Peston tweeted that Tier 4 restrictions would be imposed across the nation, schools would be closed and no more team games would be allowed in parks, but he claimed outdoor exercise would still be permitted.

The announcement comes on the day the first people were injected with the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine – the second Covid vaccine to be approved for use in the UK following the Pfizer/BioNTech jab.

It is hoped the new vaccine – which is easier to store and distribute than the Pfizer one – will help decisively turn the tide in the fight against coronavirus.

Ministers have said the NHS has the capacity to deliver two million doses a week of the Oxford vaccine but supplies are limited.

While some 530,000 doses are to be available from Monday, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said tens of millions more are to be delivered in the coming weeks and months once batches have been quality checked.

Mr Johnson said: “We have the capacity, the issue is to do with supply of the vaccine.

“It’s not so much a manufacturing issue although that’s part of it.

“Each batch needs to be properly approved and quality controlled.”