UK govt quietly extends councils' lockdown powers until July 17 - Telegraph

Jan 23 (Reuters) - The British government has quietly extended lockdown laws to give councils the power to close pubs, restaurants, shops and public spaces until July 17, the Telegraph reported on Saturday. https://bit.ly/3p8zwwC

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday the government could not consider easing lockdown restrictions with infection rates at their current high levels, and until it is confident that the vaccination programme is working. (Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Chang)