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The COVID tier system could be broken with the possibility of even higher tiers being introduced after the lockdown ends.
Boris Johnson has emphasized that England will return to a local lockdown approach after December 2, but fears have grown to a “Level 4” that could mimic the current shutdown.
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The three-tier system introduced by the government meant that more than a fifth of the country was under the strictest Tier 3 rules and millions more under a Tier 2 lockdown prohibiting household mixing.
And one source hinted that these could look different after the national shutdown, saying that ministers had not explicitly said that the levels would be exactly the same.
Johnson has said that he will present the regional approach before the lockdown ends on December 2.
Another source told The Telegraph that there was a “high probability” that the government would start putting entire regions under a set of restrictions, rather than individual cities or council areas.
The source said: “There is a desire to simplify the system, and having many different levels within a relatively small area can be confusing. A region-by-region approach certainly makes a lot of sense.
“What concerns us most is compliance. It would be better to have a good system that everyone follows than a perfect system that everyone ignores.
“A lot of people are talking about ignoring the rules at Christmas, so it’s clear that fatigue is taking hold.
“We have to design a system that makes sense to people and that they are willing to follow.”
It means that parts of the North, which faced the most severe restrictions before the shutdown, will likely be plunged into drastic shutdowns after December 2.
Medical Director Professor Chris Whitty previously warned that even “baseline” Level 3 restrictions would not be enough to stop the growing number of coronavirus cases.
It means that more businesses than just pubs and bars that cannot serve food may have to close.
And Chancellor Rishi Sunak has extended the licensing plan until March for fear that companies will be forced to close.
Matt Hancock said yesterday that the areas may not be under the same rules they were in before the closure.
Speaking at the Commons yesterday, Mr. Hancock said: “The more we can do to reduce these infection rates during the lockdown, of course, the easier it will be to get out of it and places can come out at lower levels.
A Whitehall source told the Telegraph: “It seems likely, as things stand, that an additional level will be introduced, whether it is called ‘level four’ or ‘level three plus’.
“It would mean we could keep the pubs and restaurants on the upper level closed, then the areas would drop through the levels as infection rates drop.
“But nothing has been decided yet. These discussions are still at an early stage. “
A spokesperson for No10 has refused to rule out even more locks in the future.
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