LONDON - BRITAIN may face on-off lockdowns for SIX MONTHS as the PM is set to announce a two-week "circuit breaker" to tackle the ongoing pandemic.

Boris Johnson could reportedly announce the new fortnight shutdown as early as Tuesday as the country heads towards a second wave of Covid-19.

And a government source has told The Sun Online the UK could face short, sharp lockdowns for the next six months until a vaccine is ready to tackle the killer respiratory disease.

Members of Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) have suggested using the "circuit breaker" tactic repeatedly to quash waves of infections.

The looming two-week shutdown will see restaurants and leisure facilities closed while schools and offices stay open.

Another 2.3million people will be living under local lockdowns from Tuesday after curbs were announced for parts of Merseyside, Lancashire, West Yorkshire and the Midlands.

That means a total of 12.3million — or one in five of the population — will be living under some form of lockdown even before new nationwide restrictions are announced.(FA)