lockdown to get on top of the "out of control" new coronavirus variant. Independent SAGE says any delay will cause "tens of thousands of avoidable deaths" as it warned Britain has entered a "new, more serious pandemic", adding: "The government needs to act now to prevent this catastrophe." A stark statement by the organisation called for a "radical rethink" in the strategy being used to tackle the virus as the UK recorded 53,135 new cases – a record daily increase.Sir David King, chair of Independent SAGE and former Chief Scientific Adviser to the government, said: "The UK is now at the most precarious stage of the pandemic and urgent action is needed."The reasons for the extreme urgency and the five action points that must now be carried.