CORONAVIRUS infections in London are on the rise, sparking fears the capital could be moved into Tier 3 of Covid-19 restrictions.
All the city’s boroughs were placed in Tier 2 when the one-month lockdown in England ended on December 2.
Is London going into Tier 3?
There is a threat London could be moved into Tier 3 as soon as next week due to a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.
The coronavirus infection rate has increased across 21 of the 32 London boroughs in the seven days leading up to December 2.
In nine boroughs – including Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Newham and Tower Hamlets – the seven-day infection rate to December 3 was at more than 200 new cases per 100,000 people.
Havering had the highest infection rate, with 319 positive cases per 100,000 population – more than double England’s average of 149 per 100,000.
A public health expert has warned the capital needs to be moved into Tier 3 as soon as possible to avoid further infections and Covid-related deaths.
Professor John Ashton, a former regional director of public health for north-west England, said on December 9: “[The government] needs to decide in the next 48 hours whether to move London into tier 3 otherwise they really risk a terrible situation for London, with deaths going up during the Christmas period.”
He also warned: “They might have to go to complete lockdown.”
There are concerns across the city that Londoners could face tougher measures, but a decision on the new tier restrictions has not been made yet.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “The number of cases in London are rising again and if we don’t all work together now we may face tougher restrictions across the capital.
“Londoners have worked incredibly hard to help bring down the number of cases before, but we must not risk undoing all the sacrifices that have been made by lowering our guard and allowing cases to rise further ahead of Christmas.”
A spokesman for Mr Khan added people in the capital must follow the rules or risk being placed into a Tier 3 lockdown.
When will a decision be made on the tier change?
When announcing the new tier system, Boris Johnson confirmed it would be reviewed every two weeks.
The measures came into place on December 2, meaning the next review will take place on December 16.
On that day – only nine days before Christmas – Government officials are set to meet to review tier rules across England.
How would the rules change if London goes into Tier 3?
If London is moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3, the main difference in restrictions is related to social gatherings.
In Tier 2, people can meet in groups of six outside – including places such as public spaces, private gardens and outdoor areas of pubs or restaurants.
Hospitality venues can also stay open as long as they serve a “substantial meal” with all sales of alcohol.
But in Tier 3, all hospitality venues would have to close.
People in Tier 3 must not meet with people from different households, unless they have a support bubble.
There are some limited exceptions to this – meaning groups of up to six people could meet in some outdoor public places such as parks, beaches, public gardens and playgrounds.
Are shops, gyms and hairdressers open in Tier 3?
Yes, venues such as shops, gyms and hairdressers can remain open in Tier 3.
The Government announced these venues can remain open across all tiers.
This was one of the main changes from the old to the new tier system which came into place in England after the end of lockdown on December 2.
