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Covid-19: PM set to announce month-long England lockdown

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce a second national lockdown for England as the UK passed one million Covid-19 cases.

Non-essential shops and hospitality will have to close for a month, sources told the BBC.

But unlike the restrictions in the spring, schools and colleges are to be allowed to stay open.

The lockdown is also expected to include restrictions on travel and is due to come into force on Thursday, lasting until 2 December, BBC political correspondent Nick Eardley said.

The prime minister is due to lead a news conference later, after holding a cabinet meeting to discuss the coronavirus response.

He is set to be joined by England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty and the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance for the briefing.

The UK recorded another 21,915 confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 1,011,660.

Another 326 people were reported to have died within 28 days of a positive test.

The UK is the ninth country to reach the milestone of a million cases - after the US, India, Brazil, Russia, France, Spain, Argentina and Colombia.

But the true number of infections is expected to be higher due to a lack of widespread testing at the start of the pandemic.