COVID-19: Tier 4 lockdown announced for London and most of South East – with Christmas bubbles cancelled for millions

Millions of people across southeast England will no longer be able to mix with other households at Christmas, with a new Tier 4 level of COVID restrictions – equivalent to a full lockdown – to come into force tomorrow.

In a dramatic move, prompted by fears over a new strain of coronavirus, all those areas currently in Tier 3 in the South East – including London – will move to the new Tier 4 on Sunday.

And, in further stark action across the rest of England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the planned five-day easing of restrictions over the festive period will now be limited to a single day.

“Given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus, and the potential risk it poses, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned,” he said at a Downing Street news conference on Saturday.

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In Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced that the country’s own strict Tier 4 measures would come into force from midnight tonight – more than a week earlier than planned – while households across Wales will now only be able to form a Christmas bubble with one other household on Christmas Day itself.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told her own news conference on Saturday that the country would be placed into Level 4 rules from Boxing Day, with the easing of restrictions on indoor household mixing now only to apply on Christmas Day.

She also announced a “strict travel ban between Scotland and the rest of the UK”.

Northern Ireland was already set to enter a six-week lockdown from Boxing Day.

The UK government announced a further 27,052 confirmed COVID-19 cases across the UK on Saturday, with 534 more people having died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus.

The new Tier 4 measures in southeast England will see all non-essential shops, gyms, and hairdressers close, with people ordered to stay home apart from limited exceptions such as work – if people cannot work from home – education, childcare and exercise.

However, communal worship will be allowed to continue under the toughened restrictions.

Mr Johnson ditched his previous plans for a five-day relaxation of COVID rules over Christmas and told people in Tier 4 areas they will no longer be allowed to form “Christmas bubbles” with other households.

Meanwhile, outside of the South East, people will still be allowed to mix in private homes with up to two other households, but now only on Christmas Day.

“When the virus changes its method of attack, we must change our method of defence,” Mr Johnson said.

“As your prime minister, I sincerely believe there is no alternative open to me.”

The Tier 4 measures in the South East will be in place for an initial two-week period, with a review on 30 December, and Mr Johnson stressed that people must stick to the rules for the New Year period.

Those in Tier 4 areas are being ordered not to stay overnight away from home or travel abroad for holidays, while people in other areas are being advised not to enter Tier 4 areas – and not to travel generally if they can avoid it.

Under England’s new highest level of restrictions, only one person from a household can meet with another person from a different household outside, although exemptions will continue for support bubbles and childcare bubbles.

Those who are deemed to be clinically extremely vulnerable in Tier 4 areas will be told to follow the same guidance as during November’s England-wide lockdown, which urged those people to stay at home as much as possible apart from outdoor exercise or to attend health appointments.

Downing Street suggested schools would still reopen in Tier 4 areas after the Christmas holidays.

The action has been prompted by the government’s fears over a new strain of coronavirus – known as VUI-202012/01 – which is believed to spread more quickly than the original strain and is judged to be the reason for rapidly rising infection rates in the South East.

Mr Johnson said analysis by the government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) suggests the new strain could increase the R rate by “0.4 or greater” and might be “up to 70% more transmissible”.

“While we are fairly certain the variant is transmitted more quickly, there is no evidence to suggest that it is more lethal or causes more severe illness,” the prime minister said.

“Equally there is no evidence to suggest the vaccine will be any less effective against the new variant.”

COVID-19 cases have been nearly doubling in London over the past few weeks, while in Kent cases have continued to rise despite the county having been under Tier 3 measures since the end of last month’s lockdown.

This has led to fears that Tier 3 measures are unable to contain the new strain and more needs to be done in London and the South East.

Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, said that by December over 60% of infections in the capital had been the new variant, which is thought to have emerged in mid-September.

England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, urged people not to “unwittingly” spread the new strain to other parts of the country.

Asked if people considering leaving Tier 4 areas now should unpack their bag and stay at home, he replied: “My short answer would be ‘please unpack it at this stage’.”

The new strain has been detected in two other countries other than the UK, albeit in very small quantities.

The prime minister urged people to continue to get COVID vaccinations as he revealed 350,000 people across the UK had already had their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab.

“Yes, Christmas this year will be very different, but we must be realistic,” Mr Johnson said.

“We are sacrificing our chance to see loved ones this Christmas, so we have a better chance of protecting their lives so we can see them at future Christmases.”

He suggested people “lift a glass to those that aren’t there” over the festive period.

The prime minister announced the dramatic action after chairing a cabinet meeting earlier on Saturday afternoon.

The government currently has no plans to recall parliament to allow MPs to vote on the new measures, although some senior Conservatives immediately demanded the House of Commons return from its Christmas recess in order to be able to have a say on the restrictions.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he supported the fresh government action in the face of rising infection rates, but added: “Millions of families across the country are going to be heartbroken by this news – having their Christmas plans ripped up.

“And I’m really frustrated because I raised this with the prime minister on Wednesday and he dismissed that and went on to tell people to have a merry little Christmas – only three days later to rip up their plans.

“I think the British public is entitled to more decisive leadership than that. They’re getting confusion where they need certainty.”

London mayor Sadiq Khan described the announcement of a strict new lockdown for the capital as a “bitter blow”.

“Our city faces its toughest Christmas since the war – and we will all need to pull together to see us through this terrible period,” he said.

“Please follow the new rules – lives depend on it.”

(c) Sky News 2020: COVID-19: Tier 4 lockdown announced for London and most of South East – with Christmas bubbles cancelled for millions