- England's third national lockdown has now become law, with MPs set to vote retrospectively on the new rules later.
The measures, which include a stay-at-home order and the closure of schools to most pupils, were announced by the prime minister on Monday.
All of the UK is now under strict virus curbs, with Wales, Northern Ireland and most of Scotland also in lockdown.
It comes after the number of new daily confirmed cases of Covid in the UK topped 60,000 for the first time .
And it is thought one in 50 people in private households in England had the virus last week - with the figure one in 30 in London, according to estimates based on the latest data.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics also suggested more than one million people in England had Covid between 27 December and 2 January.
At a Downing Street press conference on Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had "no choice" but to impose the latest lockdown in light of the latest figures, with the number of patients in hospitals 40% higher than in the first peak.
He would not guarantee that all children would be back in school before the summer holidays but insisted he was full of "optimism and fundamental hope" that things will be different in the spring.
The need to debate and vote on the measures means the House of Commons has been recalled from its Christmas recess for the second time - the first being for the post-Brexit trade deal.
Mr Johnson will update MPs, most of whom will not physically be in the chamber, on the new rules before the vote, which is due in the evening.
The regulations, which allow the lockdown to be in place until the end of March , are expected to pass with ease - as Labour is set to support the motion.
Under the measures, people in England will only be able to go out for essential reasons, exercise outdoors will only be allowed once a day, and outdoor sports venues must close.
Meanwhile, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is to make a Commons statement later about the cancellation of A-Level and GCSE exams in England.
At-a-glance: New rules in England
- People cannot leave their homes except for certain reasons, like the first lockdown last March
- These include essential medical needs, food shopping, exercise and work for those who cannot do so from home
- All schools and colleges will close to most pupils from Tuesday with remote learning until February half term
- Early years settings such as nurseries will stay open
- End-of-year exams will not take place this summer as normal
- Elsewhere, university students should not return to campuses and will be taught online
- Restaurants can continue to offer food delivery, but takeaway alcohol will be banned
- Outdoor sports venues - such as golf courses, tennis courts and outside gyms - must close
- But outdoor playgrounds will remain open
- Amateur team sports are not allowed , but elite sport such as Premier League football can continue
Elsewhere in the UK, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also announced a new lockdown on Monday - across mainland Scotland, Skye, Arran, Bute and Gigha for the rest of January . Level three restrictions apply in the remaining areas of the nation.
Wales has been in a national lockdown since 20 December, and schools and colleges in the nation will remain closed until at least 18 January .
In Northern Ireland - which entered a six-week lockdown on 26 December - "stay at home" restrictions will be brought back into law from Friday .
The UK government's chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty, has urged people to take the "stay at home" rules seriously and warned that the country is facing a "really serious emergency".
He cited the ONS data for England as showing how widespread the virus is.
"We're now into a situation where across the country as a whole, roughly one in 50 people have got the virus, higher in some parts of the country, lower in others," he said.
That latest estimates include:
- One in 30 for London
- One in 45 for south-east England, eastern England and north-west England
- One in 50 for the East Midlands
- One in 60 for north-east England
- One in 65 for the West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber
- One in 135 for south-west England
As cases continue to rise, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for the government to use the lockdown to create a "round-the-clock" vaccination scheme in order to end "this nightmare".
In a televised address to the nation , Sir Keir also confirmed he would back the new restrictions on Wednesday.
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Some 1.3 million people have now been vaccinated in the UK - including 23% of over 80s (650,000 people) in England, according to the PM.
The government is now hoping to ramp up the vaccination programme to get more people immunised - up to two million a week.
The ambition is to vaccinate all the over-70s, the most clinically vulnerable and front-line health and care workers by mid-February. That will require around 13 million vaccinations.
While the PM has suggested the vaccination programme could allow restrictions to be eased in spring, Prof Whitty warned "a few" measures might still be necessary next winter.
In other developments:
- Travellers to the UK from abroad could soon be required to prove they have had a negative coronavirus test
- New car registrations sunk to a 30-year low last year , figures show, after showrooms and factories shut down during the first lockdown
- BBC TV is to help children keep up with their studies during the latest lockdown by broadcasting lessons on BBC Two and CBBC
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