THE UK Government is under pressure to implement an England-wide lockdown after the nation saw its highest daily death toll since May yesterday.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) says action is needed quickly as coronavirus cases keep climbing, warning more than 25,000 people could be in hospital with the virus by the end of November.
That figure is higher than the spring peak from earlier this year.
According to The Sun, Sage told ministers that all of England may need to be placed under tier three restrictions in December – under this level people are banned from household mixing.
A government source told the newspaper: “The latest Sage numbers are utterly bleak.”
READ MORE: Coronavirus Scotland LIVE: More than 3000 house parties broken up by police
Their warning comes as it emerged UK Government scientists predict the second wave of Covid-19 infections could be deadlier than the first.
Yesterday there were 367 coronavirus deaths and 22,885 cases recorded across the UK, the highest figure since May 27.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain earlier, Dr Hilary Jones urged people not to break coronavirus guidelines to see their families for Christmas this year.
Amid the tier three warning he said: "I'm afraid that any excuse for getting the family together or having a party is a recipe for disaster, as far as transmission of the virus goes.
"I want people to remember that 630 healthcare workers sacrificed their lives in the first quarter of this year, fighting coronavirus because they picked it up from patients in hospitals.
"Now if we forget what the NHS has done so far and say, ‘Well I don’t care, I’m gonna take the risk. I’m prepared to do that,' for me that is a selfish way to go forward.
"We are all having to remember that we’re only going to get through this if we’re careful about how we behave, if we social distance and protect ourselves and other people.”
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