Johnson Concedes Circuit Breaker May Be Necessary If Tiers Fail (Telegraph)

Boris Johnson will consider a "circuit breaker" lockdown if his tier system fails to work after Sir Keir Starmer increased the pressure on him by calling for new national restrictions. Government sources said the Prime Minister could order a two-week closure of pubs, restaurants and some other businesses if measures brought in on Wednesday in Covid hotspots do not reverse the spread of the virus. A decision will be taken toward the end of next week, ahead of the half-term holiday for state schools which begins on Oct 26 and would mark the start of any temporary lockdown. One option under consideration is for regional circuit breakers, which might be preferred by the Prime Minister after he likened a second national lockdown to a "nuclear deterrent". One senior source said the chances of a circuit breaker were "at least 80 per cent".

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