Downing Street announced on Tuesday that the Home Secretary Priti Patel will lead a press conference at 5pm.
Less than 24 hours after a briefing by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Patel is expected to speak about the situation in the country as the police response to people breaking lockdown rules is toughened.
As the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) warned Britons not to ignore COVID-19 regulations and stressed that police officers were prepared to crack down on transgressors with the swift issuing of fines, the UK Prime Minister has been accused of breaking the rules after he travelled more than seven miles from home to go cycling in the Olympic Park in East London.
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) January 12, 2021
Johnson was, however, defended by the London police chief Dame Cressida Dick, who said his cycling trip was not against the law.
— National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) (@PoliceChiefs) January 12, 2021
At the same time mass vaccination in Britain is continuing with the government planning to have doses available for 12 million of England's 56 million population by February 15.
Reacting to the plethora of actions announced and committed by the government officials, users online flooded the social media thread with their comments when the briefing by Priti Patel was announced.
— Not-So-Priti-Patel (@PritiNot) January 12, 2021
— Jason Nichols (@JasonNi76534393) January 12, 2021
— #BLACKLIVESMATTER (@heyit5sam) January 12, 2021
— Marco Don Vito (@MarcoDonvito) January 12, 2021
— David- #Rejoiner🇪🇺 (@DavidRo58069364) January 12, 2021
— cheryl mcadam 🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈💙 (@chebby77) January 12, 2021
In the latest attempt to curb the sharp spread of COVID-19, UK supermarket chains Tesco, Asda and Waitrose said on Tuesday that they will not let shoppers into their stores if they are not wearing a face covering.