Boris Johnson is under pressure to impose a national lockdown as the surge in coronavirus cases overwhelms hospitals and forces schools to close

Boris Johnson is under pressure to impose a national lockdown as the surge in coronavirus cases overwhelms hospitals and forces schools to close

The UK could soon go back into national lockdown as the new faster-spreading coronavirus strain overwhelms hospitals in parts of the country.

An explosion in case numbers is forcing schools across the country to remain closed following the Christmas break.

Johnson has previously resisted calls for another national lockdown.

However, he will meet with senior members of his government and advisers on Monday to decide whether a new national lockdown should now take place.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Boris Johnson is under pressure to impose a new national lockdown in England as large numbers of schools across the country remain closed amid a surge in the new more transmissible strain of the coronavirus.

Opposition Labour party leader Sir Keir Starmer on Sunday called for an immediate national lockdown due to an explosion in case numbers and hospitalizations over the Christmas holidays.

Families had been permitted by Johnson's government in most parts of England to meet in small numbers on Christmas day, despite a surge in cases caused by the new strain in the virus.

However, hospitals in some parts of the country are now more than half-filled with Covid patients, with some hospitals running out of oxygen due to a surge in demand for respirators.

Johnson