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Another 20 million people are under tighter restrictions after the government announced an extension of Level 4 rules in England in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The day that Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine approved to face COVID-19Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a new strain of the virus was “emerging across the country” and immediate action was needed.
Areas that passed Level 4 at 12:01 am Thursday include large parts of the Midlands, Northeast, parts of the Northwest and parts of the Southwest.
Isles of Scilly is the only area in England that is still at Level 1, and the region does not report any coronavirus cases since September.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that while the changes “will place a significant burden on individuals, and especially affected businesses,” they were “absolutely necessary due to the number of cases we’ve seen.”
He told MPs: “The rapidly increasing cases and the hospitalizations that continue demonstrate the need to act where the virus is spreading.”
Hancock spoke as concerns mount about a new variant of the virus, which appears to be more communicable and which he said is “now spreading across most of England.”
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More areas of England included in Level 4
Referring to the new level assignments announced by Hancock, Johnson said at a Downing Street briefing: “At this critical time, with the prospect of freedom within reach, we have to redouble our efforts to contain the virus.
“No one regrets these measures more bitterly than I do, but we must take strong action now.”
Comes as the UK recorded 981 deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test on Wednesday, the highest number since April 24. The high death toll could be partly due to a delay in reporting deaths during Christmas.
The number of new infections reported in the 24 hours to 9 a.m. Wednesday was 50,023, slightly less than Tuesday’s 53,135, which was the highest number since the pandemic began.
Political leaders in areas placed on the highest COVID-19 restrictions have called on the government to consider a national shutdown.
Six council leaders, two mayors and a police and crime commissioner gathered in northeast England to issue a statement after the entire region plunged into Level 4 since Thursday.
They said: “Our view is that the government should consider a national lockdown now to ensure that the spread of the new variant is slowed down and efforts can focus on the crucial launch of the vaccine. This is a national problem and a national solution is required. “. now.”
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announced that the the return of many schools will be delayed beyond the government’s previous promise.
Exam-year students will return on January 11, and other high school students will follow a week later, on January 18, to allow for student and staff testing preparations to take place.
Level 4 restrictions include a stay-at-home warning, a limit on domestic mixing to two people outdoors, and the closure of nonessential stores, as well as barber shops and gyms.
The areas that will be covered by the Level 4 rules from 00.01 am on Thursday are:
- Leicester city
- Leicestershire: Oadby and Wigston, Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, Blaby, Charnwood, North West Leicestershire, Melton
- Lincolnshire – City of Lincoln, Boston, South Kesteven, West Lindsey, North Kesteven, South Holland, East Lindsey
- Northamptonshire – Corby, Daventry, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Northampton, South Northamptonshire, Wellingborough
- Derby and Derbyshire – Derby, Amber Valley, South Derbyshire, Bolsaver, Northeast Derbyshire, Chesterfield, Erewash, Derbyshire Dales, High Peak
- Nottingham and Nottinghamshire: Gedling, Ashfield, Mansfield, Rushcliffe, Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood, Nottinghamshire, Broxtowe
- Birmingham and Black Country: Dudley, Birmingham, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton
- Coventry
- Solihull
- Warwickshire: Rugby, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Warwick, North Warwickshire, Stratford-upon-Avon
- Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent – East Staffordshire, Stafford, South Staffordshire, Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Staffordshire Moorlands, Newcastle under Lyme, Tamworth, Stoke-on-Trent
- Lancashire – Burnley, Pendle, Blackburn with Darwen, Ribble Valley, Blackpool, Preston, Hyndburn, Chorley, Fylde, Lancaster, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire, Wyre
- Cheshire and Warrington – Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Warrington
- Cumbria – Eden, Carlisle, South Lakeland, Barrow-in-Furness, Copeland, Allerdale
- Greater Manchester: Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan
- Tees Valley: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees
- Northeast: County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Sunderland
- Gloucestershire – Gloucester, Forest of Dean, Cotswolds, Tewkesbury, Stroud, Cheltenham
- Somerset Council: Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton, South Somerset
- Swindon
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Isle of Wight
- New forest
