England imposes six-week lockdown after Covid-19 surge

In this image taken from video, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a televised address to the nation from 10 Downing Street, London, Monday (Jan 4), setting out new emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus in England. (Pool via AP)

LONDON (AFP): Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced a six-week lockdown for England's 56 million people, including the closure of schools, after a surge in coronavirus cases brought warnings that hospitals could soon face collapse.

Johnson stressed that Britain was leading the way with the introduction of two vaccines, including one from Oxford University and AstraZeneca which started its rollout on Monday.