#AskGMB - Dr Hilary Jones answers your questions after the latest coronavirus restrictions
After Boris Johnson announced new coronavirus restrictions that could be in place for at least six months, Dr Hilary Jones answers your questions.
Why has the spread of the virus got worse?
The spread of the virus has got worse simoly because people are social distancing sufficiently. They have forgotten to use hand sanitiser and wash their hands frequently and more people are mixing together. It's as simple as that.
Are we ever going to be able to live with Covid-19?
We are going to have to live with Covid for a little while, while we have high transmissions rates. We are hoping for a vaccine which might be here by spring or summer next year, that's the big hope we all wish for.
But as people become more aware of the virus and how it can so easily transmit from one person to another, if we all behave responsibly we will get it under control and we have to to preserve the NHS and the staff that work there.
We will have a family Christmas if we all abide by the new restrictions?
Much depends on how much people abid by the new restrictions. It would be lovely to have a traditional family Christmas with extended family visiting but with the way things are at the moment, that won't be currently possible because too many households will be involved.
That could push the transmission rate up again and we'd be back to square one. So, hopefully we'll get the R rate down by then but we'll just have to wait and see.
What happens to people have been shielding with the R rate going up?
I think people who have been shielding have been very sensible. They have stayed at home as much as possible, they have of course wanted to go out and explore the world again and see their loved ones and they have because it wasn't right that they should be imprisoned.
Life has to go on. It has to go on for their mental health as well as everything else. They have been very responsible and very cautious and they are quite right to do that because the transmission rate is going up again and they are more vulnerable. Currently they are relatively safe.
Is there any light at the end of the tunnel for coronavirus?
There is light at the end of the tunnel. We know a lot more about this novel virus than we did six months ago. We know that we can treat it better, we know how it transmits and how to prevent that transmission, we are hopeful for a vaccine and there is likely to be some herd immunity occurring anyway as people recover from it.
So four good things that mean that in six months from now we will be in a better place than we are right here.