Covid UK news – live: Boris Johnson warns of new year lockdown if we ease off now, as new tiers revealed

My colleague Chris Baynes has put together a handy map to help you find out what tier your area is in:

Jonathan Ball, Professor of Molecular Virology at the University of Nottingham, said today’s announcement of the tier system England will move into after 2 December is a grim reminder that Covid-19 is still out there.

He said: “There has been much focus on what the Christmas festivities will be like, but the announcement that much of England will be experiencing severe restrictions up to then is a stark reminder that the virus is very much out there and still circulating freely. 

“It will be important for everyone to take the threat seriously and to minimise the risk to themselves and others by reducing social interactions – especially indoors – as much as possible. 

“The announcement of the real possibility of effective vaccines being ready soon provides light at the end of the tunnel, so we need to do all that we can between now and then to minimise the harm that the virus can do to vulnerable people in our society and to our NHS. 

“We might have come out of lockdown but that doesn’t mean the party season should commence.”

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said people in Scotland will be allowed to form Christmas bubbles of eight people from no more than three households.

The bubble must have no more than eight people over the age of 12 in it, she said, although it is unclear if there should be a limit on the number of children under the age of 12 in a bubble.

She urged people to consider “alternative ways to have Christmas contact with those we love”, such as meeting outside for a walk or using technology.

“With the possibilities of vaccines now so close, none of us will want to take unnecessary risks, particularly with older or more vulnerable relatives,” said Ms Sturgeon.

“In general our advice is to keep any bubble as small as possible, and to have no more than eight people over the age of 12 in it.”

People in a bubble” can meet in one of their homes, outside, or in a place of worship. However, they must not go to a pub or restaurant together, or go shopping with one another.

It was also advised that those who would be visiting a loved on in hospital or care home over the festive period should not join a bubble, as this “increases the chances of transmitting the virus within a care home or hospital”.

Boris Johnson announced on Monday that the blanket shutdown will end as planned on 2 December, almost four weeks after it was introduced, and on Thursday health secretary Matt Hancock said which areas of England would fall under each tier.

However, new restrictions, tougher than those introduced in October, will be imposed and will vary from region to region depending on the rate of Covid-19 transmission - making it a little confusing to know when lockdown will actually end. 

Rory Sullivan has the details:

Almost 99 per cent of England’s population will go into the tougher levels of coronvirus restrictions next week, according to official figures.

Just 713,573 people - 1.27 per cent of England’s total population - living in the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have been placed under the least stringent tier 1 “medium” restrictions. 

And more than half of the population - 57.25 per cent of the total - will enter tier 2 on 2 December, said 10 Downing Street.

Andrew Woodcock, our political editor, takes you through the figures: 

The news that cities across England will face the strictest coronavirus measures has come at a cost for the theatre industry, according to industry experts. 

Jon Morgan, director of the Theatres Trust, said the move will have a “devastating” impact on theatres which will be in tier 3 areas from December 2 and will therefore not be able to reopen.

Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds are just some of the areas that will be under tier 3 measures, which require all indoor entertainment venues to be closed. Under tier 2 venues can reopen at a reduced capacity but there will be no mixing of households inside and alcohol can only be served alongside a substantial meal.

Mr Morgan said: “It is a terrible blow for the theatre sector that so many large towns and cities in England are now in Tier 3 where theatres are not permitted to reopen. There are many theatres that we know were planning pantos and other shows for December and this news will be devastating for those organisations.

“They will have invested in rehearsals and other preparations for reopening and will now find themselves unable to recoup those costs, facing further financial strain in what has already been a catastrophic year.”

Caroline Norbury, chief executive of the Creative Industries Federation, said the impact on cultural organisations based in Tier 3 zones will be “devastating”.

“Christmas is a key time for many parts of the creative industries, including venues, cinemas and museums, and it is enormously sad that many weeks spent rehearsing for pantomimes, theatre shows, concerts and events may now have gone to waste,” she said.

Ms Norbury added: “Without more support, we risk losing hundreds of viable creative businesses and practitioners in Tier 3, as well as those in higher restriction areas in the devolved nations.

"For the sake of our country's vibrant creative scene, an urgent UK-wide review is needed to assess what these viable organisations and practitioners need to weather these extraordinary times," she added."

Areas under 2 tier restrictions, such as London, will also see a “huge financial hit due to increased restrictions on alcohol sales,” Ms Norbury warned.

Coronavirus infections in England are showing signs of levelling off, according to new data, as the country prepares to emerge from lockdown.

In the week up to 21 November, positivity rates appeared to decrease in the northwest, West Midlands, east of England, London, southeast and southwest, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Thursday.

Over the same period, an estimated 633,000 people in private households in England had Covid-19 – equivalent of around 1.16 per cent of the population, reports Samuel Lovett:

Nicola Sturgeon has urged Scottish people to consider how they spend Christmas, telling people that “just because we are allowing people to meet up in a limited way, it does not of course mean people have to”. 

Scotland’s first minister has been vocal about her concerns regarding festive Covid measures, which will see all four UK nations relax social distancing measures to allow families to spend the holiday together. 

Ms Sturgeon also outlined how Scotland’s eased restrictions will differ to England’s. “There should be no more than three households in a bubble and in Scotland, we are asking that this includes no more than one extended household,” she said at a weekly briefing.

“In general, our advice is to keep any bubble as small as possible and to have no more than eight people over the age of 12 within it,” she clarified. 

Speaking about the two sides of the argument - that relaxing rules over Christmas is vital for people’s sense of family, or that it is reckless and could cause a third wave - Ms Sturgeon said she “genuinely understood both sides”.

The Conservative MP for Wycombe has said the government “must publish its analysis” that shows why and how it decided which areas in England would be assigned different Covid tiers. 

Steve Baker, deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group, which has been infamously critical of lockdown measures, said the “authoritarianism at work today is truly appalling”. 

“The government must publish its analysis of the impact interventions are likely to have on controlling Covid, as well as the non-Covid health impact and the impact on society, people's livelihoods and businesses,” Mr Baker told the PA news agency today.

“I am open to supporting measures where it can clearly be demonstrated that the government intervention will save more lives than it costs - as long as this data and analysis is published in full and in time ahead of any votes in Parliament, so that MPs and the public have a chance to scrutinise it.”

Mr Baker said the UK “must have change and that change must include ending narrow monopoly expert advice to government”. 

“In complex, contested fields with huge impact like this pandemic, expert scientific opinion must be provided by competitive, multi-disciplinary expert groups, with devil’s advocate challenge, and government must publish in full for review all those models which guide public policy,” he added.