The first UK-wide COVID lockdown was announced on the evening of 23 March 2020 by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Quick Scoop

  • The announcement came in a televised address at around 8:30 p.m. on 23 March 2020, ordering people to “stay at home” except for limited essential reasons.
  • The legal regulations for England came into force a few days later, on 26 March 2020, but the practical “lockdown” started from the night of 23 March.
  • This was the first nationwide lockdown across the UK, with closure of non‑essential businesses and strict restrictions on social contact.

So if you’re asking “when was lockdown announced UK”, the key date people refer to is 23 March 2020.

“On 23 March 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a nationwide lockdown to curb the widening outbreak of COVID‑19.”

TL;DR: The first UK lockdown was officially announced on 23 March 2020 in a national TV address.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.