Breaking: Matt Hancock extends Tier 3 to most of southeast England
The health secretary has extended Tier 3 to almost all of the southeast of England following a huge surge in cases, thought to be the result of a new coronavirus mutation.
Speaking in the Commons, Matt Hancock said: “In the last week hospital admissions are up by nearly half. It is therefore necessary to apply Tier 3 measures across a much wider area of the east and southeast.”
The move will see Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Peterborough, and the whole of Hertfordshire move into the highest level of restrictions from 0.01am on Saturday.
Bristol and North Somerset will move down a tier to Tier 2, following a fall in infections.
Pubs, restaurants, and bars will be forced to shutter under Tier 3 rules and will only be allowed to provide takeaway service.
Cinemas, casinos, bingo halls, bowling alleys, nightclubs and theatres will also be forced to close in Tier 3 areas.
The highest level of restrictions mean a ban on all social interactions both indoor and outdoors with anybody outside your household or support bubble.
The announcement from the health secretary will see an extra 4.26m Britons enter Tier 3 from Saturday, meaning 68 per cent of the population will soon be living under the toughest level of restrictions.
Meanwhile, just one per cent of the UK population is currently in Tier 1 — the lowest level of coronavirus measures.
London
It comes after London moved into Tier 3 yesterday, as the government attempts to contain a new coronavirus mutation spreading across the country ahead of the Christmas period.
Speaking to MPs on Monday, Hancock announced a new variant of coronavirus has been identified in the southeast of England “which may be associated with the faster spread” of the virus in London and surrounding areas.
“Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than existing variants,” he added.
Christmas baubles
The Prime Minister yesterday rejected calls to U-turn on plans to temporarily waive tier restrictions between 23 and 27 December to allow people to meet up in “Christmas bubbles”.
The four nations will split over the official guidance, with Boris Johnson remaining committed to the Christmas window, while Wales and Scotland will tighten a limit on gatherings.
In England, gatherings of up to three different households will be allowed to meet during the five-day Christmas period.
But in a stiff warning appealing to the public’s “personal responsibility”, Johnson urged the country to keep their Christmas plans “small and short”.
“Have a merry little Christmas,” said the PM. “But I’m afraid this year I really do mean little”.
In a rapid winding down of previous guidance, Johnson called on the public to self-isolate for five days before visiting friends and family over Christmas.
“If you’re visiting others over Christmas we’re asking you in the five days beforehand, as early as this Friday, to reduce the number of people you’re in contact with to as low as possible,” he told a Downing Street press conference.
The public should also “avoid staying away from home overnight”, and hold off on seeing elderly relatives until they have been vaccinated.
Home secretary Priti Patel this morning urged the British public to change their Christmas plans in a bid to limit “people-to-people contact that leads to the spread of this virus”.
“I would urge people to change their plans. I won’t be seeing my parents this Christmas. They live in a different part of the country and I will not travel to see them,” she told the BBC’s Today programme.
It comes as coronavirus cases continue to spike across the UK, with a further 25,161 cases and 612 Covid-related deaths reported yesterday.
Wales is set to add an additional 11,000 positive tests to its figures today, after an IT glitch meant there was a “significant under reporting”.