Boris warned ‘ice rinks may have to be used to store dead bodies’

Boris Johnson finally agreed to a second national lockdown after reportedly being told of grim plans to use ice skating rinks as mortuaries for coronavirus victims. The Prime Minister is said to have fought a ‘valiant battle’ to avoid shutting down again, amid fears it would cripple the economy and lead to a ‘nightmare before Christmas’ for businesses. But he could not ignore the devastating predictions that a second wave will be ‘twice as bad as the first’, potentially seeing up to 85,000 deaths this winter. NHS boss Sir Simon Stevens is said to have detailed plans including keeping dead bodies in ice rinks.

One aide present at a meeting of the Government’s SAGE advisory committee revealed how they ‘could have wept – it was so awful’.

Read more: Boris warned ‘ice rinks may have to be used to store dead bodies’