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Almost all Level 3 areas will remain at their current level of restrictions, but a wider area in the east and south-east of England will move to more severe measures, the Health Secretary said.
Addressing MPs in the Commons, Matt Hancock said that starting Saturday the following areas will move to Level 3:
- Bedford
- Central bedfordshire
- Luton
- Milton keynes
- Buckinghamshire
- Reading
- Wokingham
- Bracknell Forest
- Windsor and Maidenhead
- West Berkshire
- Peterborough
- The rest of Hertfordshire not yet on Level 3 (Dacorum, East Hertfordshire, North Hertfordshire, St Albans, Stevenage and Welwyn Hatfield)
- Surrey (except Waverley)
- Hastings and Rother
- Portsmouth
- Havant
- Go play sports
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I had has already been announced on Monday London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire would move to Level 3, and the change would take effect on Wednesday.
This latest announcement means that a total of 38 million people will live under Level 3 restrictions as of Saturday, 68% of England’s population.
In Level 3 areas, pubs and restaurants have to close except for take-out, while indoor entertainment and tourist spots are also closed.
However, the health secretary said Bristol and North Somerset will move from Level 3 to Level 2, while Herefordshire will move from Level 2 to Level 1.
Approximately 30% of the population will be at Level 2, with only 2% at Level 1.
Announcing the outcome of the first review of the strengthened system of tiered restrictions, Hancock said the UK has “come so far” in its fight against COVID-19 and “must not screw it up now.”
“As we enter the colder months we must be vigilant and keep this virus under control,” he said.
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Hancock reveals areas that descend from a level
“Yesterday 25,161 cases were reported and there are 18,038 people hospitalized with coronavirus in the UK. We must continue to suppress this virus.”
Mr. Hancock urged people to take “personal responsibility” to keep COVID-19 in check, adding, “It is so vital that everyone hang on and do the right thing, especially during this Christmas period.
The health secretary said case rates in the south of England rose 46% in the last week, and hospital admissions increased by more than a third.
In the east of England, Hancock told MPs that cases increased by two-thirds, while hospital admissions increased by almost half in the last week.
The Health Secretary said he “regrets” moving more areas to Level 3, but insisted it was “necessary.”
However, several conservative MPs and local leaders have expressed disappointment.
Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland said it was “ridiculous to be dragged down to Level 3” while Altrincham and Sale West MP Sir Graham Brady said news that Greater Manchester will remain at that level will be “greeted with dismay. “.
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‘Don’t travel’ at Christmas, says Home Secretary
Another MP from Greater Manchester, Andrew Gwynne from the Labor Party, said: “It seems we are arbitrarily trapped in this system, which was always my concern, and even though our cases are decreasing, they are now holding us back due to the total disaster that the government has made with his Christmas. relaxation rules. “
Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, said staying at Level 3 was “absolutely the last thing our communities and businesses wanted to hear” and represents “another hammer blow to follow so many others.”
“Once again, mayors and local leaders have been excluded from the decision-making process and have not even had the basic courtesy of being consulted or informed in advance about this decision,” he added.
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer said he feared that the tiered system “was simply not strong enough to control the virus”, and that “the numbers were going in the wrong direction across the country in the past seven days in particular.”
And he criticized what he said was the lack of clarity from the ministers about what people should do.
“The message has been everywhere: work at home, don’t work at home, go out to eat, don’t go out to eat, enjoy Christmas, have a little Christmas,” he said.
Responding to Hancock in the Commons, Labor Party shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the party accepts and understands why parts of England have moved to Level 3, “although this means that tens of millions of people … now they live under the harshest conditions. “
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Varying COVID Targeting in the UK
However, he questioned the wisdom of the impending relaxation of the coronavirus rules during Christmas.
He said, “It’s not about canceling Christmas, Santa will still deliver his presents, but (Matt Hancock) is really telling us that allowing three households within different regions and generations to mix for five days is sensible given that the virus is spreading so fiercely right now? “
Sir Keir said Boris Johnson “needs to show leadership” over the Christmas situation rather than trying to “put the blame” on families.
From 23 to 27 December, people across the UK will be able to mingle in private homes with those in their “Christmas bubble”, while travel restrictions will also be lifted.
However, there has been a decided change from the UK government and the decentralized administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland since the initial announcement that the restrictions will be eased over the holiday period.
With rising infection rates and relaxation fears, the rules will lead to a third wave of the virus, Johnson has warned that “a smaller Christmas is going to be a safer Christmas.”
While the four nations of the United Kingdom have agreed not to reverse the easing of restrictions, they have advised people to consider modifying their plans.
At a press conference in Downing Street on Wednesday, the prime minister urged the public to view festive bubbles from up to three households as “highs” rather than “targets to aim for.”
The Welsh government has announced that it will put its new guidance on limiting holiday gatherings to just two households into legislation.
Scotland’s Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon recommended that people who form a Christmas bubble meet for only one day and not stay overnight “unless it is unavoidable.”
In Northern Ireland, Prime Minister Arlene Foster said that the public must take “any and all precautions” at Christmas and that proposals for new restrictions will be presented.
Analysis: significant loosening of levels risks further confusing the government’s message
By Rob Powell, Political Correspondent
When England came out of lockdown a fortnight ago, noises coming from the government signaled this week as the time when a relentlessly strict tiering regime could relax.
A powerful combination of political and public health messages has made that untenable.
The national context was altered by an increase in cases in London and the South East, combined with concerns about the Christmas pardon.
The new hardened guide for the holiday period already cuts through the letter of the law.
A significant relaxation of the levels would run the risk of further confusing the message.
But that is not to say that the politics of this are easy for the government.
A vast majority of areas in the Southeast moving to level three are in the hands of Conservative MPs.
Expect criticism from backbenchers as to why decisions have not been made at a more granular level.
For example, Berkshire has been placed in the upper tier, despite the differences in rates between urban reading and the more rural western parts of the county.
Greater Manchester is also likely to be a point of tension again.
Already local MPs are pointing out that parts of their region have lower rates than parts of Bristol, a city that has now dropped one notch.
However, none of this will present the government a tangible risk in the chamber, as no vote is required to introduce the changes.
But there could be trouble in the new year when a vote is needed to renew the restrictions.
