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The goal of the government’s new three-tiered coronavirus lockdown system is to get the virus under control for the new year, and hopefully before Christmas, a minister told Sky News.
Speaking to Kay Burley, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “The purpose of doing this is to make sure we have the virus under control so that when we arrive after Christmas we are in that position where it is under control.”
“Actually, I hope it’s sooner.”
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Dowden said the government had to act to control “the rapidly increasing cases” of COVID-19 in parts of the country.
“The objective of moving to this tiered system is that, in the most affected areas, we have measures to control the virus,” he said.
“If those measures are successful, we hope we can remove areas of those higher levels of restrictions.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson set details of the new system in a statement to parliamentarians around 3.30 pm this afternoon, after chairing a meeting of the government’s COBRA emergency committee.
He will then address the nation at a press conference in Downing Street starting at 6 pm, along with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Professor Chris Whitty, medical director.
Areas in England will be labeled “medium”, “high” or “very high” risk under the new system.
In the hardest hit areas, pubs, gyms and casinos will be closed and all but essential travel will be prohibited.
