Scotland will on Monday enter another effective national lockdown, likely to last until spring, The Times newspaper reported.

Scottish government leader Nicola Sturgeon said earlier Sunday her cabinet would meet on Monday to discuss possible further steps to limit the spread of the virus, and ordered Scotland's parliament to be recalled.

It is expected the reopening of schools will be pushed back beyond Jan. 18, the newspaper reported.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday tougher lockdown restrictions were probably on the way as COVID-19 cases keep rising.

Johnson sets policy for England, with rules in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales set by their devolved authorities.

COVID-19 cases in Britain are at record levels and the increase in numbers is fueled by a new and more transmissible variant of the virus.

Britain recorded 54,990 new cases of the virus on Sunday and has registered more than 75,000 deaths from the pandemic.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue and Kenneth Maxwell)