By Charlotte Webster-
London and Liverpool will be placed in Tier 2 of England’s new system of COVID-19 restrictions, with Birmingham and Manchester will be in Tier 3.
The tiered system has been strengthened since the original rules were in place before lockdown, with many more areas in the higher tiers in a bid to keep infection rates down.
Indoor entertainment venues will also be closed, with people urged to avoid travelling outside the area other than where necessary.
In Tier 2, there should be no mixing of households indoors apart from support bubbles, with the rule of six applying outdoors.
Pubs and bars must close unless operating as restaurants, while hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with substantial meals. Boris Johnson promised to review the tier allocations on 16 December.
The government said extra cash will also be on offer to areas placed into Tier 2 and Tier 3.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak told BBC Breakfast the new tiers represent a “tangible change compared to the last four weeks” of lockdown in England.
“There are significant differences to that – more of our life can resume, more of our economic activity can resume,” he said.
The system will be regularly reviewed and an area’s tier level may change before Christmas – the first review is scheduled for 16 December.
Decisions on tiers are based on public health recommendations informed by a number of factors. One of those factors is case detection rate – in all age groups and, in particular, the over-60s . How quickly case rates are rising or falling.
An area could be moved up a tier if these indicators are not improving, and likewise down to a lower one if they improve.
Pressure on the NHS – including current and projected NHS capacity
Local context and exceptional circumstances, such as a local but contained outbreak.