COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). The virus reached the UK in late January 2020. , there had been more than 4.7 million confirmed cases and 128,330 deaths among people who had recently tested positive – the world's nineteenth-highest death rate by population and the second-highest death toll in Europe. There has been some disparity between the outbreak's severity in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – health in the UK is devolved, with each of the four having its own publicly funded healthcare system and government.

After being discovered in China, the first UK case was reported on 31 January 2020, and COVID became a notifiable disease in the UK in March. A public health information campaign was launched to help slow the virus's spread, and the UK government introduced the Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 for England. The Chief Medical Officer for England, Chris Whitty, outlined a four-pronged strategy to tackle the outbreak: contain, delay, research and mitigate.

On 23 March 2020, the UK went into lockdown. The governments imposed a stay-at-home order banning all non-essential travel and contact with other people, and shut almost all schools, businesses and gathering places. Those with symptoms, and their households, were told to self-isolate, while those with certain illnesses were told to shield themselves. People were told to keep apart in public. Police were empowered to enforce the measures, and the Coronavirus Act 2020 gave all four governments emergency powers not used since the Second World War. However, the governments did not initially ban or quarantine incoming travellers. The Chancellor of the Exchequer forecast that lengthy restrictions would severely damage the economy. A study found that lockdown worsened the population's mental health significantly.

The health services worked to raise hospital capacity and set up temporary critical care hospitals. By mid-April it was reported that social distancing had "flattened the curve" of the epidemic. Daily cases and deaths fell in May–June, and stayed at low levels over the summer. The lockdown was gradually eased in June–July and most schools re-opened by early September. Serious cases rose significantly that month, and local restrictions were gradually re-imposed in all four countries. In England, tiered restrictions were introduced in October, the country went into a month-long lockdown during November, and new tiered restrictions were introduced in December. Scotland also introduced tiered restrictions in October. Meanwhile, multi-week 'circuit-breaker' lockdowns were imposed in Wales and Northern Ireland. In December, a new COVID variant was blamed for a rise in cases in southeast England and led to more countries banning travel from the UK. 

Following a brief easing of restrictions for Christmas, all of the UK went into a third lockdown, including schools. The UK became the first country to authorise and begin use of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in a mass vaccination programme. By early 2021, the UK had one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, and the highest in Europe. In late January, testing and quarantine rules were imposed on all incoming travellers. Serious cases fell sharply. Schools re-opened in March, and the lockdown began to be gradually lifted from April. Despite the rules for incoming travellers, the Delta (or Indian) COVID variant entered the UK and led to a rise in cases. Deaths and hospitalizations remained low, but the government postponed the final lifting of lockdown restrictions.
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worldwide pandemic
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coronavirus disease 2019
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world's nineteenth-highest death rate by population
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second-highest death toll in Europe
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Scotland
LOC
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Wales
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Northern Ireland
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PER
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Chris Whitty
PER
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stay-at-home order
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Concept
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shield
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LOC
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Concept
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May
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June
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None
September
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tiered restrictions
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month-long lockdown
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in Wales
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Northern Ireland
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MISC
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Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
MISC
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mass vaccination programme
Concept
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early 2021
UNK
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Delta (or Indian) COVID variant
UNK
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COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
Concept
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2019
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2020-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
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2020
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