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BORIS JOHNSON is expected to potentially announce Tier 5 lockdown restrictions this week, but when is the Prime Minister due to give his next Covid lockdown announcement?
By Kaisha Langton – Dec 29, 2020
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Boris Johnson has been warned by leading scientists that stricter measures are required to bring the rampantly rising rate of coronavirus under control. A new “Tier 5” lockdown is being considered for regions of England in a bid to tackle the steep increase in Covid cases. But when exactly is the Prime Minister expected to give his next Covid lockdown announcement?
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Tier 5 restrictions could be rolled out across large parts of England in the coming days as cases of Covid-19 continue to rise.ADVERTISING
Hospitals and ambulance services across the UK are coming under increasing pressure as the new coronavirus variant fuels a rise in infections according to health experts.
Saturday was described as one of London Ambulance Service’s busiest in history amid the rapid spread of a new variant.
On Sunday, 30,501 new infections and 316 deaths were confirmed in the UK.
In addition, there were 21,286 people in hospitals with coronavirus across the UK on December 22, which is the last day for which data is available, according to official government figures.
Each area of England has been placed into one of four tiers depending on the rate of transmission of Covid-19 in each area.
As of Saturday, December 26, almost 18 people are now living under Tier 4 rules.
The following areas were moved into Tier 4 as of 12.01 a.m. GMT on Boxing Day:
- Sussex
- Oxfordshire
- Suffolk
- Norfolk
- Cambridgeshire
- Parts of Essex, which were not already in Tier 4
- Waverley in Surrey
- Hampshire, including Portsmouth and Southampton, but excluding the New Forest.
Boris Johnson update: England’s four-tier system currently in force across the country (Image: EXPRESS.CO.UK)
Leading scientists have warned the Prime Minister that stricter measures are needed to curb the rising rates of Covid-19.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) told Mr. Johnson due to the new variant, the R-rate would surge above 1 in January.
A senior Whitehall source warned England could see tighter restrictions in the coming days as cases continue to soar.
The source added new measures, “adding another level onto Tier 4, so like a Tier 5.”
They said: “We are ruling nothing out, the new strain is of serious concern. Tier 4 appears to not be strong enough.”
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Boris Johnson update: Almost 18m people went into Tier 4 on Boxing Day (Image: GETTY)
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Hospitals across Wales, Scotland, and England are facing increased pressure as a result of rising numbers of coronavirus infections. The president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Dr. Katherine Henderson said there was a “great deal of difficulty” getting patients into wards.
She told BBC Breakfast: “The chances are that we will cope, but we cope at a cost – the cost is not doing what we had hoped, which is being able to keep non-Covid activities going.
“It is always challenging in winter, nobody would say that it wasn’t, but at the moment the level of patient need is incredibly high.”
Boris Johnson update: Hospitals across the country are facing increased pressure as a result of rising rates of Covid (Image: GETTY)
When is Boris Johnson giving his next Covid lockdown announcement?
The Government is due to review the lockdown tiers on Wednesday, December 30.
Therefore, a Government minister, potentially Mr. Jonhson, is likely to address the nation about these measures during a Covid lockdown briefing at that time.
Almost 18 million people were put into Tier 4 on Boxing Day, but officials state several more regions in England could be placed under tougher restrictions in the coming days.
Tier 5 lockdown rules have never been openly discussed by the Government, however, experts claim the restrictions would be equivalent to those seen during the first lockdown in March.
At that time, schools were forced to close and children were instead taught by their parents or online.
A number of backbenchers are understood to have urged Boris Johnson to him to keep schools open in the event of another national lockdown.
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Cabinet Minister Michael Gove has refused to rule out tougher measures including all of England being placed in Tier 4.
He told BBC Breakfast: “We review which tiers parts of the country should be in on the basis of scientific evidence.”
Mr. Gove added: “It is our intention to make sure we can get children back to school as early as possible.
“We are talking to teachers and headteachers in order to make sure we can deliver effectively. But we all know that there are trade-offs.
“As a country, we have decided – and I think this is the right thing to do – that we prioritise children returning to school.
“But we have a new strain and it is also the case that we have also had, albeit in a very limited way, Christmas mixing, so we do have to remain vigilant.”
