Overnight stays banned and travel apart from work discouraged under tough new national lockdown

OVERNIGHT stays will be banned and all travel apart from work discouraged under a tough new coronavirus lockdown.

Boris Johnson will shut down the country for four weeks from Thursday in a bid to curb a surge in infections.

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As part of the new restrictions, all outbound international travel will also be banned except for work.

Brits will also be told not to travel in the UK and overnight stays outside the home will be discouraged - unless they are for work reasons.

Mixing with other households inside homes will also be banned, except for childcare.

Schools and universities will remain open and outdoor exercise will be permitted.

The measures Boris is set to reveal include:

• Pubs and restaurants will shut but will be allowed to do takeaways and deliveries
• Nurseries and schools are to remain open
• International travel will be banned - except for work
• No overnight stays and internal UK-wide travel is set to be discouraged
• All non-essential retail will close, but supermarkets will be able to sell any and all goods they like
• It's thought that people will be allowed to exercise as much as they like
• Manufacturing and construction will be encouraged to keep going - and Parliament and courts will stay open

The lockdown is set to last until December 2 in an attempt to save the nation's Christmas.

And the rules will only apply to England - with Scotland and Wales insisting they will apply their own regulations.

Large swathes of the country have already seen a ban on overnight stays - with those living under tough Tier 3 restrictions unable to mix with other households at all.

Brits living in Tier 2, meanwhile, were only allowed to meet outside.

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Boris Johnson's announcement comes as the UK today passed the grim milestone of over 1 million coronavirus cases.

Another 21,915 more positive test results were confirmed today, with another 326 fatalities.

In the last few weeks both Spain and France have surpassed 1 million positive cases, with France announcing national lockdown restrictions earlier this week.

Fears are now mounting that Britain could follow suit, as the total number of infections hit 1,011,660 today.

The ban also marks the second time the government has advised against international travel this year - after the Foreign Office urged Brits not to leave the country in March.

It comes as a severe blow to the beleaguered travel industry as the pandemic continues to ground flights across the world.

Earlier this week, The Sun reported how both EasyJet and Heathrow airport had made layoffs as the industry struggles to recover from a second wave of infections.

But the new measures will initially be voted on in the House of Commons - and the PM is expected to face a Tory rebellion as MPs fight to prevent another shutdown.

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It comes after No 10 was given a chilling report claiming deaths from the virus could peak just before Christmas, with a "massive spike" on Christmas Eve.

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And government medics warned some hospitals may not even have enough staff to cope with the extra patients on top of the normal winter strains on the NHS.

Professor Calum Semple, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), told BBC Breakfast that "the tiered approach to restrictions hasn't worked particularly well".