Liverpool has been placed in the most serious “very high” risk category, with pubs and bars across Merseyside closing from Wednesday. The affected boroughs are Liverpool, Knowsley, Wirral, St Helens, Sefton and Halton. This highest alert will mean, at a minimum, the closure of pubs and bars and a ban on social mixing indoors and in private gardens.
Areas in the top tier will also have the power to impose additional restrictions, and in the Liverpool city region, this will also mean the closure of leisure centres, gyms, betting shops and casinos.
The areas in the second most severe category – the “high-level” alert – are Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Warrington, Derbyshire, Lancashire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North East, Tees Valley, West Midlands, Leicester and Nottingham.
This second tier will reflect interventions in many areas that are already subject to local restrictions, such as preventing mixing between different households indoors.
The remainder of England has been placed under the “medium alert level” – tier one.
Coronavirus UK lockdown: Do you agree with the tier your area has been placed in? (Image: GETTY / PA)
Coronavirus UK lockdown: Boris johnson has announced new measures (Image: GETTY)
These areas will continue to follow the current national measures, including the rule of six and the 10pm curfew on pubs, bars and restaurants.
Mr Johnson outlined the new measures to MPs in the House of Commons and said people will be able to see what tier their area is in by checking the NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app for England and Wales.
You will also be able to see the tier your area is in by performing a postcode search on Gov.UK.
Discussions are continuing with local leaders in the North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber about the approach to take there, with support available if they are moved into the top tier.
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Authorities placed in the “very high” alert level will gain additional support from Whitehall, including the possibility of assistance from the military to support local services.
The new measures are being kept under review, with a four-week “sunset clause” for areas facing the toughest restrictions.
But there are now huge fears the strict new measures could continue well into Christmas and impact on the way loved ones celebrate the festive season together.
The Prime Minister warned: “The weeks and months ahead will continue to be difficult and will test the mettle of this country.
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Coronavirus UK lockdown: Liverpool has been placed in the most serious ‘very high’ risk category (Image: GETTY)
Coronavirus UK lockdown: Bars and pubs are being shut scross Merseyside (Image: PA)
“I know how difficult this is – they like us, like everyone in this House, are grappling with very real dilemmas.
“But we cannot let the NHS fall over when lives are at stake.”
Mr Johnson rejected suggestions restrictions should be eased but immediately faced a furious backlash from local MPs and leaders in the impacted areas.
He insisted the “bleak mathematics” indicate there would not only be an “intolerable death toll” from coronavirus, but the strain from the crisis could again pile huge pressure on several areas of the NHS.
Coronavirus UK lockdown: Three tier system announced by Boris Johnson (Image: EXPRESS)
However, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told the Prime Minister is “sceptical” as to whether the Government has a plan to bring the spread of coronavirus under control.
He said in the Commons: “The question today is whether the restrictions announced by the Prime Minister can bring the country back from the brink, whether they can regain control of the virus and provide the support and confidence that local businesses and communities need. That is how high the stakes now are.”
The Prime Minister’s three-tier approach has also come under attack from members of his own conservative Party.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said he was “disappointed” the region had been placed in the second tier and claimed the Government had ignored the opinions of local leaders.
He said the stricter measures for Birmingham and the West Midlands was “not something regional leaders supported, nor what I believed would be happening following extensive conversations over recent days”.
Mr Street added: “The most important change between our current restrictions and the new ones announced today is the ban on households mixing in hospitality venues.
“This is something the latest local epidemiology does not support, and I am disappointed that the Government is pressing ahead with this despite the united view of local leaders.”
Chairman of the influential backbench Tory 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady questioned how the Prime Minister and his Government would prevent coronavirus restrictions in areas throughout England becoming a “permanent state”.
Conservative MP Philip Davies urged Mr Johnson to “put his trust in the British people to act responsibly” as opposed to “a constant blizzard of arbitrary rules which will only serve to collapse the economy and destroy businesses and jobs”.
Former Tory minister Tobias Ellwood called for the 10pm curfew on the hospitality sector to be reviewed “as urgently as possible”.
