CORONAVIRUS restrictions are likely to get tougher, PM Boris Johnson said today.

South Essex is currently in Tier 4 as Covid-19 cases continue to surge.

Speaking on BBC’s the Andrew Marr Show today, the Prime Minister signalled current anti-Covid measures were likely to get tougher.

He also spoke of potential “circuit-breaker” lockdowns to get the virus under control..

He said: “What we are doing now is using the tiering system, which is a very tough system… and, alas, probably about to get tougher to keep things under control.

“But, we will review it.”

He added: “And we have the prospect of vaccines coming down the track in their tens of millions.

“And that, I think, is something that should keep people going in what I predicted, back on your show in in October, will be a very bumpy period right now.

“It is bumpy and it’s going to be bumpy.”

Boris Johnson said that circuit-breakers “buy you some temporary respite” from the spread of Covid-19.

He told the Andrew Marr Show: “If you want to stop coronavirus spreading, then of course it’s open to you or to any government to close down the entire economy for the duration.

“If you look at all these examples of firebreaks or circuit-breakers, all they do is buy you some temporary respite.”

Mr Johnson told the Andrew Marr show there will be 530,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine at around 540 GP vaccination sites and around 101 hospital sites on Monday, “on top of the million or so that have already been vaccinated”.

“There are a few millions more Pfizer (vaccines) still to be used,” he added.

“We are rolling them out as fast as we can. And the issue is not so much one of distribution, and I saw some of your earlier guests sort of saying ‘well you know we haven’t got enough retired doctors to help administer (them)’.”

Asked about reports of potential volunteers being deterred by additional training and forms about “deradicalisation measures” and “fire drills”, Mr Johnson said: “I think it’s absurd and I know that the Health Secretary is taking steps to get rid of that pointless bureaucracy.”

The Prime Minister said he expected “tens of millions” of vaccine jabs to be administered over the next three months.

Mr Johnson said: “I wish I could give you here and now any sort of elaboration on the figures you have already heard about how we hope to get up to two million a week and so on.

“I can’t give you that yet.

“What I can tell you is that… we do hope that we will be able to do tens of millions in the course of the next three months.”