“We are now at a critical moment. We are yet to see the full effects of the relaxation of restrictions over Christmas and, over the past few weeks, we’ve seen just how quickly the new variant of the virus can spread and multiply. Considering all of this, an effective national lockdown is now the right thing to do.
“Unlike last March, we now have a clear end point in sight, when the vaccination programme is fully up and running. The Government must provide the resource needed to speed up the roll out of the vaccine as quickly as possible. It is also vital that businesses, councils and individuals are given the financial support they need to manage during this period.