British PM warns of new year lockdown if rules not observed

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday warned of a potential third strict lockdown in the new year if Britain eased off restrictions.

"If we ease off now, we risk losing control over this virus all over again, casting aside our hard-won gains and forcing us back into a new year national lockdown with all the damage that would mean," Johnson said during a press conference.

A man walks through Covent Garden, in London, Britain, on Nov. 23, 2020. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)

Earlier Thursday, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that most of England will face harsh coronavirus restrictions in the new three-tier system when the current month-long national lockdown ends next week.

The national lockdown is the second of its kind since the coronavirus outbreak in Britain, adopted to quell the resurgence of coronavirus.

To date, Britain has registered 1,578,429 COVID-19 cases with 57,128 deaths, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

TV BRICS reports with reference to Xinhua News Agency.