Prime Minister says Covid restrictions could get tougher to keep virus under control

Mr Johnson signalled current anti-Covid measures were likely to get tougher, saying: "What we are doing now is using the tiering system, which is a very tough system... and, alas, probably about to get tougher to keep things under control.

"But, we will review it."

He added: "And we have the prospect of vaccines coming down the track in their tens of millions.

"And that, I think, is something that should keep people going in what I predicted, back on your show in in October, will be a very bumpy period right now.

"It is bumpy and it's going to be bumpy."

It comes as the first Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines are to be given tomorrow as second Covid-19 jab is rolled out by NHS.

Related article: The Prime Minister has insisted 'schools are safe' amid calls for closures from teaching unions.

The PM said that circuit-breakers “buy you some temporary respite” from the spread of Covid-19.

He told the Andrew Marr Show: “If you want to stop coronavirus spreading, then of course it’s open to you or to any government to close down the entire economy for the duration.

“If you look at all these examples of firebreaks or circuit-breakers, all they do is buy you some temporary respite.”

It comes as ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair has said that the entire country needs to be placed under a Covid-19 vaccination programme.

The former Prime Minister told Times Radio: “Because of this new variant, we need to change our strategy completely in my view.

“And the paper we published today shows how we can get up to three million, I think we could get up to three million a week by the end of January, provided that the vaccines are available, and they should be.

“Not only Pfizer and AstraZeneca but possibly with the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine as well coming on stream.

“We should be aiming to get up to three, four, five million a week.

“We need to get the entire country under a vaccination programme very, very fast because right now as a result of this new variant, we’ve got a choice between severe lockdown or vaccination.

“But there isn’t another choice.

“If I was the Prime Minister right now I would be saying to the team in Downing Street, ‘I need you to give me a plan to get this up to five million (vaccinations) a week’."

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