England’s lockdown could last into March, says Minister

Country announces strict measures to beat new virus strain.

Michael Gove, U.K. chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, arrives for a weekly meeting of cabinet ministers in London, U.K., on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. As U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces calls to compromise in order to secure a trade deal with the European Union, one thing above all is limiting his room to move: the Conservative Party. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

England on Tuesday entered a strict national lockdown aimed at stemming a steep rise in COVID-19 cases that a senior government Minister warned could last into March.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the measures, including school closures and a ban on leaving home except for exercise and essential shopping, on Monday evening.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told

Sky News on Tuesday morning that he could not say precisely when the lockdown, announced as lasting six weeks, would be lifted, warning of “very, very difficult weeks”.

The measures will be reviewed from February 15, he said, but the government cannot “predict with certainty: whether they will be lifted then”, said Mr. Gove.

“I think it is right to say that as we enter March, we should be able to lift some of these restrictions but not necessarily all,” he added.