On 23rd March 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a nationwide lockdown to curb a widening outbreak of COVID-19, closing many sectors and ordering the public to stay at home. This was incrementally lifted, starting from several weeks later. Similar restrictions were introduced in late 2020 and early 2021 as infections rose. Restrictions applied to certain areas, and then on a larger scale, differing between the four countries of the United Kingdom to which Health is devolved, with the central government being responsible for England.
