Covid UK news – live: Boris Johnson warns of new year lockdown if we ease off now, as new tiers revealed
Follow the latest updates as cities across England prepare to enter tier 2 and tier 3 restrictions
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Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson has warned of a potential third lockdown in the new year if curbs on mixing were eased now.
The prime minister gave the warning as it was revealed that almost 99 per cent of England’s population will go into the tougher levels next week, with just 1.27 per cent set to enjoy tier 1 freedoms.
More than half of the population - 32,226,170 people, or 57.25 per cent of the total - will enter tier 2 on 2 December, said No 10. And around four in 10 English residents - 41.48 per cent, totalling 23,347,218 people - will be under the toughest tier 3 controls.
Only the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - accounting for little over 1 per cent of England's population - face the lightest tier 1 restrictions.
Large swathes of the Midlands, northeast and northwest are in the most restrictive tier 3, but the majority of people - including London - will be in tier 2.
Mr Johnson said: "I'm sorry to confirm that from Wednesday most of England will be in the top two tiers, with the toughest measures.
"And I know that this will bring a great deal of heartache and frustration, especially for our vital hospitality sector."
Which Premier League clubs can have fans and how many?
As England’s new three-tier system is set to get under way, sports fans eagerly await next Wednesday when venues can reopen their doors and welcome supporters for the first time in nearly nine months.
Hopes for a return of fans on 1 October were dashed when a rise in coronavirus cases and deaths triggered a second national lockdown, but Boris Johnson announced at the start of the week that the end of the tight restrictions will also coincide with the return of fans - albeit in very limited numbers.
Jack de Menezes has the latest on what the new rules mean for you and your team:
Which Premier League clubs can have fans under new tier system and how many?
Your complete guide to which clubs across the Premier League and EFL can welcome back fans next week
UK Covid death toll rises by 498 in 24 hours
A further 498 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK. The number is a slight fall compared with the previous two days, writes Alessio Perrone:
UK Covid death toll rises by 498 in 24 hours
A further 498 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK.
Easing off risks new year England-wide lockdown, says Johnson
England will face a new year national lockdown if measures are relaxed now, Boris Johnson has warned.
“If we ease off restrictions now, we risk losing control of the virus all over again, casting aside our hard-won gains and forcing us into a new year national lockdown, with all the damage that would mean," the prime minister said.
"The tough measures in our winter plan are the best way to avoid this outcome."
He said the new restrictions were based on public health advice, as he started a briefing on the new rules.
Andrew Woodcock reports:
England will face new year national lockdown if we ease off now, Boris Johnson warns
England could be facing a New Year national lockdown if it eases off on coronavirus restrictions, Boris Johnson has warned.
Johnson ‘absolutely convinced’ vaccine coming
The prime minister denied the new restrictions were a continuation of the lockdown, saying across all tiers, shops, hairdressers, personal services, places of worship will be open.
“In just a few months we will have a vaccine - I’m absolutely convinced of it, and by April things will be much, much better,” he told the briefing.
“We mustn’t take foot off the throat of the beast now.”
He held up the prospect of mass testing, saying in Liverpool it “definitely” helped to bring the rate of infection down. “That’s something we will make available throughout the worst affected communities,” he said.
Chief medical officer Chris Whitty said there are damaging things happening if the government goes too far in either direction with restrictions and they were trying to do the least damage, only puttiing places into tier 3 if cases were high or rising.
Mass testing is way out of tier 3, says PM
Boris Johnson signalled that mass community testing was the way out of tier 3 - the toughest - restrictions, saying it involved "everybody working together to kick Covid out".
"For me, that's a real change in the way we've been able to deal with the disease that we've achieved in just the last few weeks or so," he added.
Local leadership in towns and cities will be key to delivering mass testing. Acknowledging the help and support of the armed services where necessary will be needed, he stressed local leaders would be vital.
“You can’t compel people to have a test,” he said, but people needed to understand testing was the way forward.
The key thing will be to ensure there are enough lateral flow tests, he said, and the UK has “huge stocks of them” now and hoped to manufacture them in future.
Don’t expect to escape tough curbs this winter, says medical chief
The new tough restrictions introduced for 99 per cent of England are unlikely to be relaxed this winter, Chris Whitty warned. Rob Merrick reports:
Don’t expect to escape tough Covid restrictions this winter, Chris Whitty warns
New tough restrictions introduced for 99 per cent of England are unlikely to be relaxed this winter, Chris Whitty has warned.
Don’t hug relatives, medical chief warns
People should not hug their relatives at Christmas because of the risk of transmitting the virus to them, Chris Whitty warned.
The chief medical officer suggested people should keep their distance "if you want them to survive to be hugged again".
Don’t hug elderly relatives at Christmas, warn Boris Johnson’s advisers
Boris Johnson’s top scientific advisers have warned Britons not to hug elderly relatives at Christmas, despite new rules allowing it.
Cornwall welcomes being placed in lowest tier
Representatives and authorities in Cornwall have welcomed the news that the county will be placed under the lowest level of coronavirus restrictions after the national lockdown ends next week in England, writes Alessio Perrone.
Cornwall reacts after being placed under tier 1 restrictions
‘Clearly new national restrictions have had required effect,’ says Steve Double MP
‘Forgotten’ Leicester could go full year in lockdown, mayor warns
Some 350,000 people living in Leicester could go a full year in some form of lockdown, its mayor has warned after the city was placed into the strictest tier of the new coronavirus alert system. Colin Drury reports:
‘Forgotten’ Leicester could go full year in lockdown, mayor warns as city has strictest restrictions imposed
Leicester was among a huge swathe of the Midlands – including Nottingham, Birmingham, Derby and Stoke – which were told they would face the country’s tightest measures once lockdown ends next week
Tier 2 won’t bring cases down, says medical chief
Tier 2 of the latest restrictions to be implemented across large parts of England will "hold the line" but not bring cases down, the chief medical officer for England said.
Professor Chris Whitty also admitted that tier 1 restrictions, the lightest measures which will be applied in only three areas - the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly - could lead to an increase in infections.
At the Downing Street press conference, he said: "Tier 1, which is very similar to the previous tier 1, slowed things down but did not stop the rise anywhere.
"So the reason why tier 1 at this time of year, with the current measures we currently got before we have any vaccines, is relatively limited, is almost certainly anywhere going into tier 1 will rise and the only places that are there are places with very low rates at the moment."
He added he would hope that "in some months to come, possibly in some weeks to come, we'll be in a situation where more places could go into tier 1".
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