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Crucial talks are expected tomorrow, as millions more could be set to enter the Level 4 restrictions this week.
The next Government Level review date is set for Wednesday, December 30, a week after vast swaths of the south and southeast were subjected to the most severe restrictions from Covid-19.
With England’s infection rate rising to 380.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants the week ending December 23, a weekly increase of 30 percent, more areas of the country are expected to fall into Tier 4.
The main increase is attributed to the new strain of Covid-19, which has been predominantly located in the South East and London. The infection rate in the capital has shot up to 743.4 cases per 100,000, up 39% every week.
The rate in Greater Manchester, which is currently at Level 3, is 199.4, although more than 20% compared to the previous 7 days.
The Mirror reports that, on Monday, December 28, the government will hold a series of talks to decide which areas will be subject to the strictest rules.
On Sunday, more than 30,000 new cases of Covid-19 were reported across the UK, and more than 300 more people died within 28 days of a positive test.
A new variant of the virus, believed to have originated in Kent, is feared to be now “running rampant” across the UK, having been detected in at least 10 other countries.
More than six million people in the east and south east of England entered the highest level of restrictions, now affecting 24 million people representing 43% of the population.
The areas that moved to Level 4 are Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, parts of Essex not yet at the highest level, Waverley in Surrey and Hampshire with the exception of the New Forest.
Level 4 restrictions include a stay-at-home warning, a limit on domestic mixing for two people outdoors, and forcing many stores, barber shops and gyms to close.
The London Ambulance Service said that Boxing Day had been one of its “busiest” days and the group representing NHS trusts in England has urged members of the public to stick to coronavirus restrictions on the eve New Years and beyond, as cases rise in the UK.
Saffron Cordery, Deputy Executive Director of NHS Providers, said: “The public should have no illusions that this is one of the most challenging times for the NHS.
“It is vital that everyone pay attention to the new rules and restrictions in the lead up to the New Year and beyond.
“After all, it takes much longer to stop the spread of the virus than it does to contract it.
“But despite the difficulties the service is going through, there is hope.
“The vaccine is here and it is rolling out, hopefully for all vulnerable groups by late spring.”
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