Third lockdown looming after Christmas as 38m are pulled into Tier 3

A THIRD national lockdown will be considered if coronavirus infections continue to rise after Christmas, Downing Street suggested yesterday.

More than 38 million people in England – 68 per cent of the population – will be in Tier 3 from Saturday after large parts of the South East were plunged into the harshest restrictions.

Tory MPS in some of the new Tier 3 areas branded the decision “ridiculous”, but Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said he was left with no choice after infection rates surged by up to two thirds in some areas.

It came as Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, extended the furlough scheme until the end of April, adding to speculation that restrictions that prevent people working will continue beyond Easter.

Secondary schools were also told yesterday that the start of next term will be delayed by a week for the majority of pupils to enable the roll-out of mass testing for students and staff.

Years 11 and 13, which have exams in the summer, will return on Jan 4, but the remainder of pupils will go back on Jan 11 after being tested for coronavirus. Schools will have to recruit an army of volunteers over the Christmas break to carry out millions of tests.

Following a review of the tier system by ministers, Mr Hancock announced that all of the home counties would be placed in Tier 3, days after doing the same to London.

It puts another four million people under the toughest restrictions after infection rates in commuter towns surrounding the capital showed worrying evidence the virus is spreading outwards

from London. Despite repeated assurances that areas would be released from Tier 3 if they stuck to the rules, only one region – Bristol and North Somerset – was moved to Tier 2. Herefordshire, currently in Tier 2, will move to Tier 1.

Yesterday another 35,383 people were counted as testing positive, with 532 deaths. The number of new cases is a daily record, but the figure was skewed by the addition of 11,000 Welsh cases that had been previously overlooked.

Wales has already announced a third national lockdown to begin on Dec 28, and the Prime Minister’s official spokesman left the door open for England following suit.

Asked whether a third lockdown could be ruled out, the spokesman said: “We will obviously keep the latest data and the latest trends under review.”

However, one senior government source insisted last night: “There won’t be a third national lockdown.”

Northern Ireland will impose a sixweek lockdown starting on Boxing Day, despite allowing Christmas bubbles to continue until Dec 28.

The Health Secretary said that it was with “regret” that he had to place into Tier 3 Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Peterborough, Hertfordshire, Surrey (with the exception of Waverley), Hastings and Rother, Portsmouth, Gosport and Havant.

Mr Hancock said the country had “come so far” and “mustn’t blow it now” as medical professionals continued to warn about the dangers of relaxing restrictions over Christmas.

Stephen Mcpartland, the Tory MP for Stevenage, said it was “totally unacceptable” for the Hertfordshire town to enter Tier 3 after it had achieved a significant fall in its infection rate.

He said it was “ridiculous” and went against ministers’ pledges that tiers would be imposed on a district basis “instead of this unbalanced county wide approach”.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPS and the MP for Altrincham and Sale West, reacted angrily to the news that Greater Manchester would remain in Tier 3. He pointed out that nine of the city’s 10 boroughs had rates of infection below the national average and asked: “What exactly do we have to do to move out of Tier 3?”

Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester’s mayor, accused the Government of treating the North with double standards, saying he was “not surprised but very disappointed” that his region was staying in Tier 3.

♦ Priti Patel has urged people to report neighbours who flout Christmas bubble rules – but only if they are having raves or house parties. The Home Secretary said she would inform the police if she saw people breaching coronavirus laws over Christmas – and made clear that enforcement of the laws will not be scaled back.