London to re-enter top level of COVID-19 restrictions

LONDON

London and parts of southeast England will re-enter Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions, the highest level, Britain’s health secretary announced Monday.

The changes will come into effect early Wednesday, just after midnight, in London and south and west of Essex and south of Herefordshire, Matt Hancock told parliament.

He added that hospital admissions in England are up 13% and cases up 14% on previous weeks.

The increase was particularly noticeable in London, parts of southeast England, and south Wales.

Hancock said a new strain of coronavirus could explain the rapid rise in the south of the country.

“We have identified a new variant of coronavirus, which may be associated with the fastest spread in the southeast of England. Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variants,” he said.

“We’ve currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant, predominantly in the south of England, although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas, and numbers are increasing rapidly,” he said.

Hancock said that the UK had notified the WHO, and that there is nothing to suggest that this new strain causes a more serious illness, nor anything to suggest it would not respond to the vaccine.

Over 1,000 cases of this new strain have been identified in the country, mostly in southeast England. Similar variants have been identified in other countries.

The latest government data showed nearly 24,000 cases of coronavirus in London in a week, with cases rising in every borough.

Tier 3 restrictions mean that people are barred from meeting with people outside of their household, either indoors or in most outdoor venues.

Hospitality venues, including bars and restaurants, will be forced to close, only being able to open for takeaways and deliveries.

Theaters will also have to shut, and fans will unable to attend sporting events at venues such as stadiums.

People will be allowed, however, to meet in groups of up to six people outdoors in public spaces such as parks and public gardens.

The Christmas period will be an exception to all of these rules across both England and the wider UK. From Dec. 23 to Dec. 27, people from up to three households can meet up indoors and stay over to celebrate together.