Leaders urge residents to follow new Covid rules as 'out of control' virus strain emerges
It is "critical" that residents follow the new coronavirus rules as an "out of control" virus strain has emerged and Christmas plans have been axed, leaders have said.
The news comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that London and the South East were to go into a new two-week lockdown in an attempt to get the disease back under control and people across the rest of England were told that household mixing over the festive period would be restricted to Christmas Day only.
And Matt Hancock has warned tough new coronavirus controls will have to remain for "some time" and that a mutant new strain of the disease was "out of control".
The Health Secretary said the country was facing an "enormous challenge" after scientists warned the new variant could be up to 70 per cent more transmissible than the original virus.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson called on the public to follow rules after the announcement at the weekend.
The PCC has also raised with the Policing Minister his concerns that last minute U-turns are making the job of the police harder.
Mr Jamieson said: “The virus poses a huge threat and the public should follow the law and government guidance, by doing so we will get back to normality quicker.
