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* PM Johnson announces tougher restrictions
* Whole of England under "stay at home" order
* Lockdown to last until at least mid-February
* Earlier, UK began rollout of AstraZeneca vaccine
(Adds details)
By William Schomberg and Elizabeth Piper
LONDON, Jan 4 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris
Johnson on Monday ordered England into a new national lockdown
to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases that threatens to overwhelm
parts of the health system before a vaccine programme reaches a
critical mass.
The announcement came just hours after the government hailed
Britain's success in becoming the first country to begin rolling
out the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca
against COVID-19.
Johnson said a new, more contagious variant of the
coronavirus first identified in the United Kingdom and now
present in many other countries was spreading at great speed and
immediate action was needed to slow it down.
"As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more
pressure from COVID than any time since the start of the
pandemic," Johnson said in a televised address to the country.
"With most of the country already under extreme measures,
it's clear that we need to do more together to bring this new
variant under control," he said.
"We must therefore go into a national lockdown, which is
tough enough to contain this variant. That means the government
is once again instructing you to stay at home."
Non-essential shops and hospitality would have to remain
closed, while primary and secondary schools would close from
Tuesday for all pupils except vulnerable children and those
whose parents are key workers.
Johnson said the disruption meant it would not be possible
for all exams to go ahead this summer -- the second academic
year in a row in which the pandemic has played havoc with
pupils' education and future plans.
Johnson said that if the vaccine rollout went as planned and
the number of deaths responded to the lockdown measures as
expected, it should be possible to start moving out of lockdown
by the middle of February.
However, he urged caution about the timetable and appealed
to everyone to comply with the rules.
Britain's economy suffered a historic crash of nearly 20% in
the April-June period of 2020 as swathes of business were
shuttered by the first lockdown.
The new measures, which allow companies such as construction
firms to remain open, could cost about 10% of economic output
for as long as they last, said Julian Jessop, a fellow at the
Institute of Economic Affairs, a think-tank.
NEW VACCINE LAUNCHED
As Britain grapples with the world's sixth highest death
toll and cases hit a new high, the country's chief medical
officers said the spread of COVID-19 risked overwhelming parts
of the health system within 21 days.
The surge in cases has been driven by the new variant of
COVID-19, officials say, and while they acknowledge that the
pandemic is spreading more quickly than expected, they say there
is also light at the end of the tunnel - vaccinations.
Johnson's government earlier touted a scientific "triumph"
as Britain became the first country in the world to start
inoculating people with shots of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
Dialysis patient Brian Pinker, 82, received the first
vaccination outside of a trial.
"I am so pleased to be getting the COVID vaccine today and
really proud that it is one that was invented in Oxford," said
the retired maintenance manager, just a few hundred metres from
where the vaccine was developed.
But even with the vaccines being rolled out, the number of
COVID-19 cases and deaths keep rising.
More than 75,000 people in the United Kingdom have died from
COVID-19 within 28 days of a positive test since the start of
the pandemic. A record 58,784 new cases of the coronavirus were
reported on Monday.
Moving a few hours ahead of Johnson, Scottish First Minister
Nicola Sturgeon imposed the most stringent lockdown for Scotland
since last spring.
The devolved administration in Wales said all schools and
colleges there should move to online learning until Jan. 18.
(Additional reporting by Estelle Shirbon, Alistair Smout and
Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Gareth Jones)
