"The weeks ahead will be the hardest yet, but I really do believe that we are entering the last phase of the struggle." Those were the words of the prime minister as he announced the return to a tough national lockdown and ordered people across England to: Stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives. The PM said he had been left with no choice, because of the "frustrating and alarming" rise in cases, caused by the new faster-spreading variant .

A similar lockdown came into force in Scotland at midnight, announced hours earlier by the first minister. Wales and Northern Ireland are already two weeks into their own lockdown, but they've also announced new coronavirus measures.

All schools have been ordered to switch to online learning, except for vulnerable and key worker children, and this summer's exams in England will not go ahead as planned. The National Education Union accused the prime minister of "brinkmanship" and said it would have been better if he had acted sooner. Apart from those on a limited number of courses, university students must not return to campuses. 

Scotland's lockdown will be reviewed at the end of January. England's rules are expected to last until mid-February, by which time Boris Johnson said he hoped everyone in the top four priority groups would have been given a first dose of the vaccine. One cabinet minister told our political editor reaching that ambitious target "should be the entire focus of the government".

What can you do now? Well, things look similar to March in many ways and the most at-risk groups should shield once more. We've set out all of the rules in detail here. People can leave home for essential reasons, including food shopping, although that didn't prevent a surge in demand for delivery slots, putting supermarkets' online operations under strain. 

Business leaders greeted news of the lockdowns with dismay, calling for more financial support to prevent another wave of closures and redundancies. The embattled pub and beer sector said its "road to recovery just got longer", especially as takeaway alcohol sales will be banned - a blow to many small breweries and village pubs who have used it as a lifeline. UK Music, meanwhile, which represents the live and recorded industry, wants ministers to introduce an insurance scheme for cancelled events.

British Chambers of Commerce director general Adam Marshall said firms would be "baffled and disappointed" that Mr Johnson didn't announce further state aid alongside the new restrictions. The furlough scheme is still in place - read more about who's eligible.

The presidential race is over - bar the shouting at least - but one crucial political battle in the US is yet to be won. The southern state of Georgia will decide the future shape of the Senate this week - and in doing so, will determine how much the incoming Democratic president, Joe Biden, is able to achieve in his first term. The Senate has the power to approve or reject Mr Biden's nominees for cabinet and judicial posts, as well as his entire policy wish-list. The run-off for Georgia's two senate seats is being held because there was no outright winner in November.

Here we explain why the result matters so much, and get a flavour of things on the ground as Mr Biden and President Trump held their final rallies.. 

The front pages all lead with Boris Johnson's decision to order a new national lockdown. "It's back to Square One" laments the Daily Mail - "one last push", says the Sun. The Daily Telegraph understands the "tipping point" for the prime minister came on Monday, when he was told more than 80,000 people in the UK had tested positive for coronavirus on 29 December. The Guardian says the crackdown comes amid "catastrophic figures" for hospital admissions in England and warnings of a "grim death toll" by the end of the month. The Financial Times cites epidemiologist John Edmunds who believes it's now "baked in" that UK deaths will exceed 100,000. The Daily Mirror describes the lockdown as "yet another U-turn", accusing the government of "shameful bungling, indecision and weakness" which, once again, means it's down to the public to show "strength, self-sacrifice and kindness". The Daily Express tries to offer hope, telling readers the vaccine "will end the struggle". The Times describes the plan as a "race against time" to vaccinate as many people as possible by mid-February. 

In the latest in our series of letters from African journalists, Joseph Warungu speaks to experts in the worlds of finance, politics and entertainment to assess prospects and pitfalls facing the continent in 2021. Elsewhere, Amazon is moving into healthcare, starting with the pharmacy business. What does this mean for the rest of the industry? And finally, find out who took third spot in the BBC's Sound of 2021 list.

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