Millions face tighter curbs after Xmas infections spike

MILLIONS more could be put in Tier 4 south of the Border this week after a postChristmas Covid surge.

Ministers and officials will meet to decide whether to tighten restrictions in many more areas of England on Wednesday.

Large swathes of the country only saw their tiers change on Saturday. But the Government could elevate dozens of those living in Tier 2 and 3 for the second time in days due to rising infection rates.

Last week, Boris Johnson refused to rule out the possibility of a third lockdown at the start of the new year.

But government sources said last night that an extension of Tier 4 areas was more likely than a complete shutdown.

Yesterday, another 231 Covid deaths were announced in England, with 25,61 new infections. There are fears that virus hospital admissions are set to pass the peak of the first wave in April.

The tier system will be reviewed on Wednesday – just a week after UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that six million extra people in the South-East of England were to enter Tier 4.

In Tier 4, families are told to stay at home and cannot meet others indoors unless they are part of their support bubble. Pubs and restaurants have to close, as do nonessential shops, gyms and hairdressers.

Latest figures show Burnley has the highest infection rate of anywhere not in Tier 4 – 471 out of 100,000 people. Lincoln and Boston in Lincolnshire, presently in Tier 3, could also go up, along with Rugby, in Warwickshire. All three have infection rates higher than 400.

The Prime Minister was warned that his decision to allow more mingling over the Christmas period would lead to a surge in coronavirus cases – necessitating tough restrictions in the new year. As of Boxing Day, 43 per cent of the country is now at the highest level of alert.

Mr Hancock said the change was needed after a new strain of coronavirus from South Africa, said to be 70 per cent more transmissible, was found in Britain.

Scientists have warned the whole of England must go into Tier 4 to stop the spread. The independent Sage group, which advises the Government, said thousands more will be infected in the new year.

One member, Dr Zubaida Haque, tweeted: ‘Given that we surpassed 70,000 Covid-1 deaths in the UK on Christmas Day, and there are more patients with coronavirus in hospital than at any point in the pandemic, why hasn’t the Government implemented Tier 4 restrictions everywhere?’