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More areas could be moved to Level 4 after Christmas given the new “very concerning” coronavirus variant, a cabinet minister told Sky News.
The Secretary for Communities, Robert Jenrick, said that the mutation “is highly concentrated in London and the South East”, where total blockade measures have already been imposed.
“Now we have had time to think again if more action is required in other parts of the country, and that is the decision that the prime minister and other ministers will have to make in the coming days,” he explained.
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Christmas bubbles are only allowed for those outside of Level 4
“The new variant is much less prevalent elsewhere, but there is growing evidence that it can be found in a variety of other parts of the country.
“So the question is, should we take steps to try to avoid that?”
Jenrick also suggested that the “Christmas bubbles” plan for all those living outside of Level 4 could be further modified, saying, “If we need to change that in light of the new variant, then we will not hesitate to do so.”
But then he clarified that it was “highly unlikely” that there would be changes, telling BBC Breakfast: “There is absolutely no plan to do it. People should spend Christmas the way they planned to.”
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The government ‘will not hesitate’ to alter the orientation of Christmas
A meeting will be held this morning to discuss whether more areas should move to Level 4.
Sir Mark Walport, former chief scientific adviser to the government, said: “It is very likely that the degree of restrictions will have to increase in other parts of the country … The measures will have to be quite tough.”
Some areas near Level 4 locations with high COVID-19 Case rates could be increased, but there is no set timeline for when those changes could take place, according to a government source.
The Times reports that the areas under consideration are West Sussex and the remaining parts of East Sussex that are not yet at the highest level, as well as Rugby, Burnley, Lincoln and Stoke-on-Trent.
The lockdown is in effect in level 4 areas
In 17 more areas, including Newcastle, Bristol and Boston, community rapid response lateral flow tests will be implemented.
“They are the areas where the virus is strongest,” Jenrick told Sky News on Wednesday.
Cases across the UK continue to hit record levels, with another 36,804 coronavirus infections reported Tuesday and 691 deaths.
