The UK government has offered a £ 4.6bn ($ 6.2bn) bailout package to companies to ease the recession expected following a third tough lockdown amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, Reuters reported.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a lockdown on Monday, stating the risk of overwhelming the health care system over the next 21 days as a result of the detection of a more contagious strain of coronavirus.

According to the restrictions introduced, most of the country's residents will be forced to work from home, almost all schools and shops selling non-essential goods have been closed.

Economists are still forecasting a 2.5% drop in GDP in the first trimester of this year.