Boris Johnson urged to impose coronavirus lockdown as cases surge

Boris Johnson's scientific advisers have urged him to introduce tighter lockdown measures as coronavirus cases surge across much of the country. The UK-wide infection rate rose from 63.8 a week ago to 125.7 as of Tuesday, meaning cases are now doubling every seven days. The prime minister appears to be resisting calls for a national lockdown. Professor John Edmunds, a scientific adviser to the government, said Boris Johnson should introduce further national restrictions to replace the patchwork of local measures currently in place across the UK. Professor Stephen Reicher, another scientific adviser to the government, said the prime minister should take action now to avoid a March-style lockdown by the end of October.