England's lockdown came into force legally overnight after it emerged an estimated one in 50 people in private households in England had coronavirus last week. That figure was even higher, one in 30, in London, while the number of daily confirmed cases topped 60,000 for the first time.
MPs will actually vote to approve the lockdown on Wednesday, but it's expected to pass with ease. Labour has already pledged its support, but said ministers must deliver a round-the-clock vaccination programme. The regulations allow lockdown to potentially be in place until mid-March and some Conservatives do want more of a say over how long restrictions might last. Boris Johnson said he was full of "optimism and fundamental hope" that things would be different in the spring, but Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said we shouldn't "kid ourselves" that the virus would disappear by then. We've answered some of your questions on the situation as it stands.
All four UK nations have now imposed lockdowns - see the rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - but will they be enough to curb infections? Our health correspondent has more. We all have our hopes pinned on a rapid vaccine roll-out, but a few issues might get in the way of the ambitious targets being set.
Elsewhere, it's emerged travellers to the UK from abroad could soon be required to prove they've had a negative coronavirus test. Full details are still to be agreed, but it's thought haulage drivers coming through ports would be exempt.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will make a statement in the Commons later about the cancellation of A-Level and GCSE exams in England. You'll remember the chaos that surrounded last year's results so students will be anxious to hear what they're facing. The Association of Colleges in England, meanwhile, has criticised the government for leaving it up to schools and colleges to decide whether to go ahead with vocational exams, such as BTecs, this month.
Mr Williamson will also give more details of support for pupils following the switch by schools and colleges to remote learning. Parents have been telling us about the difficulties they're going to face juggling work and homeschooling once again - we've got some practical advice.
There are concerns that some families may struggle to afford data packages for their children to take part in online learning, so BBC Bitesize is here to help. Unlike the spring lockdown, lessons will be broadcast on BBC Two and CBBC, as well as online - check out the plans here.

US lawmakers are expected to confirm Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election later, despite plans from some Republicans to formally object. Outside Congress, thousands of Trump supporters are gathering to rally against the certification of his defeat. Counter-protests are likely too, and hundreds of National Guard members are being mobilised to keep order. In a tweet on Tuesday, Mr Trump announced that he would be speaking at the "SAVE AMERICA RALLY". He still insists he was the victor in November's contest, and we've been speaking to some voters who agree.
Mr Biden is due to be inaugurated as president on 20 January, but the amount of power he'll have once in office depends on the outcome of the Senate run-off race in Georgia. With the result too close to call, here's why it matter so much.

Coronavirus developments dominate the headlines once again. The Guardian warns of "tough curbs for months", quoting the prime minister's acknowledgment that the plan to emerge from lockdown in mid-February was subject to "lots of caveats, lots of ifs". The Financial Times agrees "Britain faces long haul out of crisis", while the Daily Mirror claims Boris Johnson's "late lockdown... could spark 20,000 deaths this month". The Daily Star laments the return of panic-buying, exclaiming "Shove your Dry January!" There is some hope on the front of the i, which reports that mass vaccination centres will open in sports stadiums and exhibition centres next week. And the Times claims millions more doses will reach hubs, including London's Nightingale hospital, within days. Alongside that upbeat news, though, it says Britain has become "a land of ghost cities" and carries a stark picture of two figures walking over an otherwise deserted Millennium Bridge in central London. The Daily Telegraph suggests an offer from high street pharmacies to play a big role in the vaccine drive has been "snubbed by ministers".

Jimmy Carter was the first British Asian to play in the Premier League, but almost nobody realised and 11 years passed before another followed. BBC Sport's Mandeep Sanghera tells his story. Elsewhere, when Briton Peter Lowe found himself trapped in Taiwan by the pandemic, he bought a boat to pass the time. It set him off on a quest to clear the country's waterways, river banks and mangrove forests of plastic.

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