United Kingdom Announces Additional Economic Package of £4.6-Billion For Reviving Business Affected Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

London, January 5: The United Kingdom government on Tuesday launched an additional £4.6-billion economic package for reviving the business battered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The development came as Britain imposed fresh lockdown to tackle the spread of the new variant of COVID-19. UK Finance Minister Rishi Sunak said that the move would help businesses.

"This will help businesses to get through the months ahead — and crucially it will help sustain jobs, so workers can be ready to return when they are able to reopen," reported global news agency AFP quoting Sunak as saying. Boris Johnson, UK PM Announces Full Lockdown In England Amid Surge In COVID-19 New Variant.

On Monday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced full lockdown in the country until mid-February. The restrictions were imposed to try to cut spiralling infection rates. The measures, which include the closure of primary and secondary schools, will come into effect from January 6.

Earlier on Monday, Scotland also imposed a nationwide lockdown for the rest of January amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. Country's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made an announcement regarding this in the Scottish Parliament. The lockdown came into effect from Tuesday.

Notably, in the past few days, COVID-19 cases in the UK have risen drastically. The increase in numbers is also due to the new variant of coronavirus. COVID-19 cases in the UK have crossed 2,700,000 so far, while the death toll has also touched 75,000-mark.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 05, 2021 05:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).