A major advertising campaign will urge the public to stay at home as a record new high in daily death figures fuelled fears the current lockdown is not working.
The statistics showed 1,325 people died with Covid-19, the highest number reported on a single day since the outbreak began.
The new adverts, fronted by the England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, will emphasise the risk posed by the new strain of the disease and how stretched hospitals are becoming.
Everyone in England will be told to act “like you’ve got it”, as well as stay at home.
In the ad, Professor Whitty says Covid-19 is spreading quickly across the country putting “many people at risk of serious disease and… placing a lot of pressure on our NHS.”
He adds that while coronavirus vaccines give clear hope for the future, “for now we must all stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.”
