The Tier system in England will stay in place for the "forthcoming few months", despite the coronavirus vaccine starting to be rolled out.
The Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that restrictions would remain in place for some time to come.
Under the new restrictions, households living in Tiers 2 and 3 - covering 99% of the population in England - are banned from mixing indoors and there are strict controls on hospitality.
Pubs and restaurants in Tier 3 must remain closed except for takeaways and deliveries while those in Tier 2 can only serve alcohol with a "substantial" meal.
But Mr Hancock said ministers would consider easing the controls in areas with lower infection rates when the regulations come up for review in two weeks time.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme he said: "The regulations that we passed last night with a substantial majority in the House of Commons, they will be in place for the forthcoming few months.
"But you can see now with confidence that from the spring onwards things are getting better.
"Between now and then we have got to hold our nerve, we have got to hold our resolve. We can see the dawn in the distance but we have got to get through to morning."
Mr Hancock said the Government would consider allowing more localised measures when the rules come up for their first fortnightly review on December 16, potentially enabling some areas to move into a lower, less restrictive tier.
He said: "Where that is appropriate, that's what we will do.
"We will look at the country where the tiers apply according to the epidemiology, according to the human geographies of where people live and work because that is how the virus gets passed on."
Enter your postcode below to claim a free scratchcard
At Prime Minister's Questions Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged concerns about the impact of the measures on the economy but insisted that the Government was doing all it could to protect jobs.
While he said the approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine by regulators for use in the UK was "very good news", restrictions would still be needed through the "tough winter months".
He told MPS: "It's very important that the package of moderate but tough measures that the House voted for last night, the tiering system, is followed across the country because that's how we will continue to beat the virus."
