BORIS Johnson has announced a second national lockdown, which will be in force across the whole of England from next week.

The Prime Minister confirmed the already widely anticipated news in a televised address to the nation this evening.

It comes less than 24 hours after Oxford moved into the ‘Tier 2’ level of restrictions, which was aimed at tackling the rising spread of Covid 19 across the city.

READ THAT FULL STORY HERE.

The number of positive cases of coronavirus passed one million after a recorded daily increase of 21,915 cases.

Residents across Oxfordshire and beyond will have to abide by the new curbs from Thursday, and the restrictions are set to be in force until December 2.

In his address Mr Johnson said: "We have got to be humble in the face of nature.

"In this country, alas as across most of Europe, the virus is spreading even faster than the reasonable worst case scenario of our scientific advisors."

He added he was 'under no illusions about how difficult this will be' and said: "We will get through this but we must act now."

He said: "From Thursday the basic message is the same, stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives."

Among the new measures, which will be put before Parliament in the coming days, people will be told to stay indoors except for specific reasons.

Households will not be allowed to mix indoors, with the exception of for childcare and other support.

All non-essential shops, restaurants, pubs and leisure facilities will be shut but schools, colleges and universities will stay open.

People will be able to leave their homes for education, medical appointments and to buy essential goods or for outdoor exercise.

Anybody able to work from home will be asked to do so.

The courts, which are currently facing what one outgoing judge called a 'tremendous backlog' are reportedly expected to remain open.

Responding to the announcement Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon Layla Moran said: “We must break the cycle of ‘boom and bust’ lockdowns.

"The Government’s approach to the pandemic has already led us to a worst-of-both-worlds situation in which we have among the highest number of deaths and worst economic outlook anywhere.

"Oxfordshire is in a worse position than it would have been had government listened to officials and leaders on the ground. Let's work together in our community to beat this virus."

On Thursday it was confirmed that the city of Oxford would move from the relatively relaxed ‘Tier 1’ into the more stringent measures of ‘Tier 2.’

That change was implemented and put into effect today.

It means:

• People must not meet socially with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place like a restaurant.

• People must not meet in a group of more than six outside, including in a garden or other space.

• People should aim to reduce the number of journeys they make where possible. If they need to travel, they should walk or cycle where possible. If taking public transport, they should plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes.

Rates per 100,000 in Oxford city rose to 137.1 for the week ending October 23.