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Millions more people will become aware of the tighter coronavirus restrictions on Boxing Day when new level changes take effect in England.
New lockdowns are scheduled to be introduced in Scotland and Northern Ireland, while restrictions that were relaxed for Christmas Day in Wales will be reimposed on Saturday.
Those in strict level 4 in England will rise from 6 million to 24 million people, representing 43% of the population, in response to a more communicable variant being discovered in the UK.
It comes after the government said 570 more died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus on Christmas Day, bringing the total UK deaths within 28 days of testing positive. at 70,195.
Separate figures released by UK statistical agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, along with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show that there have now been 86,000 Covid-19 related deaths in the UK.
There were also 32,725 laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK, bringing the number of positive tests in the past seven days to 244,146.
The new measures were being imposed against a backdrop of rising infections, hospital admissions and a new, more contagious variant in the UK that was announced last week.
The areas going 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 the forced closure of many stores, barber shops, and gyms.
The measures are in addition to Level 3 restrictions, such as pub and restaurant closures, except for takeout and delivery.
Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, including the council area of North Somerset, Swindon, the Isle of Wight, New Forest and Northamptonshire, as well as Cheshire and Warrington, will be scaled to level 3.
Elsewhere, Cornwall and Herefordshire go from Level 1 to Level 2.
Mainland Scotland will enter Level 4 restrictions from Saturday, and the Scottish government intends the increased measures to last for three weeks.
In Northern Ireland, a six-week lockdown has begun. The first week’s measures are the toughest yet, with a form of curfew in place starting at 8 p.m., stores closed after that time, and all indoor and outdoor gatherings banned until 6 p.m. A.M
Nonessential retail will close for the next six weeks, as will close contact services, while hospitality outlets will be limited to take-out services.
