Boris Johnson is to hold a press conference from Downing Street tonight.
The Prime Minister will address the nation at 5pm on Monday following a meeting of the COBRA committee amid growing concern of a new 'mutant' coronavirus strain.
Mr Johnson will be joined tonight by transport secretary Grant Shapps and the government's chief scientific adviser Sit Patrick Vallance.
He chaired a meeting of the COBRA emergency committee earlier on Monday to discuss the mutant coronavirus and the travel restrictions imposed by the French and a string of other countries in Europe and beyond.
The closure of cross-channel routes until at least Wednesday has alarmed businesses in the lead-up to Christmas and with the added complication of the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31.
Sainsbury’s warned that disruption could hit supplies of lettuce, some salad leaves, cauliflowers, broccoli and citrus fruit, all of which are imported from the continent at this time of year.
This afternoon's briefing will be available to watch on BBC News and Sky News, and we will be providing live updates on our live blog.
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