Tier 4 has been introduced in England for the first time to combat a new strain of coronavirus, with London and the South East plunged into restrictions "broadly equivalent" to a full lockdown.
These new restrictions come after the UK coronavirus death toll surpassed 70,000 on Christmas Day. Then, just three days later on December 28, the UK reached a daily record of Covid-19 infections, with 41,385 new lab-confirmed cases. A further 357 people also died within 28 days of testing positive with the virus.
Concerns about the threat posed by the new variant, which has fuelled soaring cases of Covid in London and the South East, led the Prime Minister to introduce the new Tier 4 for such parts of the country, complete with orders to “stay home”.
However, Whitehall sources have suggested more areas are set to join London under the highest tier restrictions in the coming days, adding that "sizeable chunks" of the North and the Midlands expected to enter Tier 4 by the end of this week.
Tier 4 means non-essential retail and indoor gyms are closed, and people are not be able to meet more than one person from another household in an outdoor public space.
Residents in Tier 4 cannot mix with anyone outside of their support bubbles and should not leave their tier.
The Prime Minister stated that all tiers were advised to stay local, stating that people should "carefully consider" if they need to travel abroad. In the case of Tier 4, travelling abroad is prohibited with the exception of circumstances such as work obligations.
Furthermore, in an interview with the BBC, Professor Devi Sridhar, the chairwoman of global public health at the University of Edinburgh shared that the entire country is likely to enter Tier 4.
She shared: "I think that's where it's heading, and it's better to be honest with people so they can plan the next few weeks to understand what might be coming."
Travel, both domestic and international, is off the cards for the majority of the UK until at least December 30.
Following the announcement of the new strain of the virus, the Dutch government made the decision to ban all passenger flights from Britain until Jan 1 after finding a case in the Netherlands of the new coronavirus strain.
Other countries have followed suit as France, Italy, Germany, India and Canada issued a temporary ban on flights from the UK.
Tier 4 now includes Greater London, the South and West of Essex: Basildon, Brentwood, Harlow, Epping Forest, Castle Point, Rochford, Maldon, Braintree and Chelmsford, along with Thurrock and Southend-On-Sea borough councils, and the south of Hertfordshire which means Broxbourne, Hertsmere, Watford and the Three Rivers local authority.
Use our postcode tool to find out which tier your area is in.
What tier is London in?
London is under Tier 4 restrictions. As of the latest announcements there are 16.4m people living under Tier 4 in England.
Following a rise in cases, the Government decided to place the capital into the highest tier of restrictions.
London was seeing a rise in cases even during November's national lockdown, figures showed.
Professor Paul Hunter at the University of East Anglia said: “There were more cases at the end of lockdown than at the start in London.
"It is very worrying when cases were still continuing to increase in these regions despite the national lockdown. It is quite likely that case numbers will start to accelerate even more in coming days."
In the lead up to the change, a health source had said Public Health England “is starting to get worried about it again” as the data showed cases on the rise in the capital.
What is causing the rise in cases?
A rapid increase in a mutant strain of the virus appears to be responsible for a surge in coronavirus cases in London and the South East of England, the Prime Minister announced on December 19. Though the new strain does not have a higher mortality rate, it is 70 per cent more transmittable than the original virus.
The latest data shows that there has also been an increase in the number of coronavirus cases in secondary school children in the London and South East region, compared to other age groups.
How long will London be in Tier 4?
London is set to be in Tier 4 until a review on December 30. The Prime Minister urged, however, that New Year's Eve would not be exempt from restrictions on socialising.
Tier 4 restrictions could be toughened further and remain in place until close to Easter, Government sources have admitted.
Ministers believe at least 20 million people will need to have been vaccinated against coronavirus before any significant relaxing of the measures can be considered, it is understood.
Matt Hancock said on December 20 that Britain faces a “very difficult” few months, warning that the spread of the virus across swathes of England is now “out of control”.
Is all of London in the same tier?
All of London has been placed in the same tier. This is largely because of the city's expansive travel connections, particularly the London Underground, which make containing specific areas difficult.
Mr Johnson previously said London is “held together by a very dense mass transit system”, which would make it difficult to split the city into different tiers.
“Although there are fewer people on it right now the transmission within London means that it's quite difficult to separate one bit of London from another,” he said.
How are tiers determined?
Five categories are used to determine which level an area falls into. Ministers have made the decisions based on public health recommendations informed by the following factors:
- The rate of infection, particularly among the over-60s
- How quickly case rates are rising or falling
- Positivity in the general population
- Pressure on the NHS – including current and projected NHS capacity
- Local context and exceptional circumstances such as a local but contained outbreaks
If any of these five indicators are not improving, or are showing signs of getting significantly worse, an area may be moved into a higher tier. This happened in the case of Greater Manchester before the second national lockdown.
Only a few, mostly rural areas are in Tier 1, the one level at which indoor socialising with other households is permitted.
What does Tier 4 mean?
Tier 4 is the toughest set of local restrictions in England, resulting in a ban of people meeting inside or outside, unless they are in a support bubble. Under Tier 4 restrictions, non-essential shops, close contact services such as hairdressers, and gyms must close.
Pubs, bars and restaurants will only be able to serve takeaway services, and hotels will have to close their doors until the tier level in the local area drops back into Tier 2.
Indoor entertainment venues, such as theatres and cinemas, have to close. Amateur outdoor sports will be allowed to take place, but spectators will not be able to attend any sporting event.
Essential shops are allowed to remain open, as are schools, universities and workplaces, although people are advised to work from home where possible.
Do you have any questions on Tier 4 restrictions or the new coronavirus strain? Email yourstory@telegraph.co.uk and your questions will be answered by our experts.
