LARGE swathes of southern England will be placed under Tier 3 restrictions from Saturday due to rising coronavirus levels.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock set out the findings of the first full review of England’s tier allocations, with very little good news for areas already under tough restrictions.
Instead he was forced to place more areas under the toughest measures, closing pubs, restaurants and cinemas.
Hancock said areas moving into Tier 3 are: Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Peterborough, the whole of Hertfordshire, Surrey with the exception of Waverley, Hastings and Rother on the Kent border of East Sussex, and Portsmouth, Gosport and Havant in Hampshire.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon pleads with Scots to stay home over Covid Christmas period
But Bristol and North Somerset will move from Tier 3 to Tier 2, while Herefordshire will move from Tier 2 to Tier 1.
Making a statement in the Commons, he told MPs: “As we enter the coldest months we must be vigilant and keep this virus under control.”
The cautious approach comes amid mounting concern about the prospect of a surge in cases following the easing of restrictions over the Christmas period.
According to the latest Scottish Government guidance, people should avoid all travel between high prevalence and low prevalence areas over Christmas.
That “means avoiding travel to or from Scotland and Tier 3 areas in England”.
While people are permitted to form a Christmas “bubble” with a legal maximum of three households, the Government has stressed it recommends a limit of two households with a maximum of eight people.
It also encourages people to minimise the amount of time spent in the bubble, particularly indoors, and overnight travel is not advised unless unavoidable.
Speaking at yesterday’s coronavirus briefing, the First Minister stressed the safest way to spend Christmas is in your own household.
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