England's CMO urges public to obey lockdown as one in 50 had Covid-19 last week

New figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggested 1.1 million people in private households in England had Covid-19 between December 27 and January 2

Chief medical officer Chris Whitty during a media briefing. Picture: Hannah McKay/PA

Coronavirus poses an “extraordinarily high” risk and people must take the stay at home rules seriously, England’s chief medical officer (CMO) has warned, as new figures suggested one in 50 had Covid-19 last week.

Professor Chris Whitty said the country faced a “really serious emergency” as he urged people to adhere to the new England-wide lockdown measures, stressing that a “collective effort” was needed to bring cases down.