Quiz of The Week: 2 - 8 January

Boris Johnson has begun 2021 by plunging the UK back into a national lockdown as Covid hospitalisations and case numbers reach record highs.

The prime minister warned that the next few weeks will be the “hardest yet” in the pandemic as he announced the third shutdown during a televised address to the nation on Monday.

The tough new measures have met with little resistance from lockdown-sceptic Conservative MPs amid warnings that NHS hospitals face being overwhelmed within weeks unless urgent action is taken.

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But there is hope at the end of the tunnel, with Johnson pledging to ramp up the nation’s mass vaccinations campaign.

The PM’s announcement came a day after Keir Starmer called for a national lockdown. But while he beat Johnson to the punch, some critics have accused the Labour leader of living up to his “Captain Hindsight” nickname and “playing politics” during the health crisis.

To find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest developments in the pandemic, and other global events, put your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week:

Need a reminder of some of the other headlines over the past seven days?

The world was shocked by violent scenes in Washington D.C., where a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed and briefly occupied the Capitol building on Wednesday.

Commentators were quick to place the blame for the rioting squarely at the president’s door, with even members of his Republican Party calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked to remove Trump from office early.

Back in Europe, Angela Merkel entered talks with Vladimir Putin about bringing the Russian Covid vaccine to the EU, amid widespread shortages of the jabs across the continent.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron faced criticism about France’s slow rollout of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in a campaign hindered by red tape and widespread anti-vax sentiment.