Hope is increasing that Liverpool may be able to leave the highest tier of coronavirus restrictions after mass testing was hailed as a success by the Prime Minister.
Boris Johnson, speaking this afternoon as he laid out the return to tiered lockdown measures after December 2, praised the testing program which has seen hundreds of thousands of tests administered in recent weeks.
The government has said it plans to roll it out for areas in the highest tiers of the new system, which Mr Johnson said will be in place until the spring.
Some experts have criticised aspects of the testing program, arguing that infection rates in the city were already falling before the pilot was rolled out.
However, the council leadership and the government have hailed it as a success, saying it helped prevent more asymptomatic transmission.
Mr Johnson's comment that infection levels have dropped could indicate that Liverpool may not go into the new tier system at the highest level.
The exact decisions on which locations will be in each tiers is yet to be decided, with an announcement due on Wednesday.
Local leaders expressed some optimism earlier today that the city could be placed in the new Tier 2 as opposed to Tier 3, with new cases in the region continuing to fall.
Check the coronavirus infection rates in your area below.
However, restrictions in Tier 2 have now been significantly strengthened, with significant restrictions on hospitality and all indoor socialising between different households banned.
In his speech, the Prime Minister warned that Christmas would also not be a normal event for families, despite ongoing work to try to allow some socialising for a limited period over the holiday.
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