Dr Hilary thinks second national lockdown will 'likely' be extended

2 November 2020, 09:58 | Updated: 2 November 2020, 10:05

Dr Hilary Jones warns lockdown will 'likely' be extended

How long will the second lockdown last? Dr Hilary predicted it could be extended while on GMB today.

Dr Hilary has spoken out on the second national lockdown, claiming that it will 'likely' be extended beyond a month.

Read more: Boris Johnson announces month-long lockdown - all the new rules and list of places to shut

The TV doctor was discussing the statistics announced by Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance at Saturday's press conference, telling hosts Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan: "What it shows that it could be much worse than the statistics first suggested."

He added that it was 'inevitable' that the country was put into second lockdown, saying: "Once the cat is out of the bag and you've got so many cases in the public, that is very difficult to get under control and recover from that.

"Well, you can recover from that but a lockdown is needed. It is likely, I think, to be extended.

"Nobody can promise when it can end because we just don't know how the virus can behave, how the population can abide by the restrictions that are being imposed."

Read more: Will we be in lockdown for Christmas? Boris Johnson says festive period will look 'very different this year'

On Saturday evening, Boris Johnson announced that England would be going into national lockdown for a month, beginning Thursday 5 November and ending on 2 December.

Speaking at a press conference at No10 Downing Street, he said: "We have got to be humble in the face of nature, in this country alas - as much of Europe - the virus is spreading much faster than the reasonable worst case scenario.

"Unless we act, we could see death in this country at several thousand a day, a bigger mortality than in April."

Boris Johnson outlines restrictions for second national lockdown

Detailing the new rules, he added: "From Thursday, until the start of December, you must stay at home - only leave for education, for work, for exercise and recreation outdoors with your household, on your own, or one person from another household, for medical reasons, escape from danger or harm, and to shop for food and essentials".

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