By PM unveils England’s new rules
Addressing Parliament, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has unveiled England’s new coronavirus lockdown system.
This follows an emergency Cobra meeting chaired by the PM.
The Prime Minister has said he does not believe that a national lockdown is the correct decision, despite the number of cases having quadrupled in the last three weeks.
Instead, he has now announced a new standardised ‘three tier’ system – which will see regions categorised as being on medium, high or very high alert.
Each level will have different lockdown rules.
Downing Street has confirmed that the Government will work alongside local leaders to determine the measures needed in areas on very high alert.
The medium alert level will maintain the current national levels, and is expected to cover the majority of the country.
However, in high alert areas, the rule of six will continue to apply outdoors, but indoor gatherings will be banned.
For areas in under very high alert, the government will now prohibit gatherings both indoors and outdoors – pubs and bars will also be forced to close.
While most areas of hospitality will be harshly affected, retail, schools and universities will remain open.
Individuals and local authorities affected by the changes will be eligible for a number of government schemes.
The Prime Minister has urged local authorities to work with the government on the “difficult but necessary measures” in return for more support.
Which tier an area is placed in will be based on the number of cases per 100,000 of the population.
All areas with fewer than 100 cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days are in Tier 1, or on medium alert.
As the infection rate increases, so too does the Tier figure.
If an area reaches 100 cases or more per 100,000 population, it moves to Tier 2.
An area will be considered Tier 3 when the restrictions applied to the other two tiers have failed to stop cases from rising.
The new restrictions are scheduled to be reviewed after a month.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer responded, questioning whether the restrictions announced by the PM can actually bring the country “back from the brink,” and “regain control of the virus.”
He added that he remains deeply skeptical of the government’s plan, adding that the PM consistently seems to be several steps behind the curve.
Recent government data suggests that there are currently 3,837 Covid-19 patients in UK hospitals.
60% of those are being treated in the north of England.
Three NHS Nightingale hospitals in northern England have been asked to prepare to accept greater numbers of patients amid warnings of increased hospital admissions.
A Downing Street press conference is to follow later today at 19:00.
These measures will come into force on Wednesday.
A postcode search detailing each area’s threat level is available via gov.uk, as well as on the NHS Covid-19 app.
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