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Another six million people will find themselves living under the most severe lockdown restrictions when they wake up on Boxing Day.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock today announced further measures in parts of England, just days after the creation of Level Four.
The upper level of restrictions, which includes the closure of non-essential businesses and gyms, was introduced following concerns about a new variant of Covid-19.
This strain is said to have arisen in the southeast of the country and is believed to be more infectious than previous variations.
It is not believed to be more deadly.
As cases have risen across the country since Boris Johnson informed the country of the new strain on Saturday, millions more people will be subjected to more severe measures.
Merseyside is not one of those areas, although people in the region, as in all of England, will now only be able to mix with up to three households on Christmas Day. Previously, three households were allowed to form a social bubble between December 23 and 27.
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While Merseyside will remain at Level Two, Cheshire West, Cheshire East, and Chester, and Warrington will move to Level Three.
The local authority areas that move to Level Four on Boxing Day are:
- Brighton and Hove
- Cambridgeshire
- Parts of East Sussex not yet at level four (Eastbourne District Council, Lewes District Council, and Wealden District Council)
- Parts of Essex not yet in Level Four (Colchester Townships, Tendring District and Uttlesford District Councils)
- Hampshire (Basingstoke and Deane County, East Hampshire District, Eastleigh District, Fareham District, Hart District, Rushmoor District, Test Valley District, Winchester City Halls)
- Norfolk
- Oxfordshire
- Southampton
- Suffolk
- Waverley District (Surrey)
- West sussex
The following areas are already on Level Four: Kent, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey (excluding Waverley), Gosport, Havant, Portsmouth, Rother and Hastings, all of London and Bedford, Central Bedford, Milton Keynes, Luton, Peterborough, Hertfordshire, Essex (except Colchester, Uttlesford and Tendring).
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