TIERING UP
London & parts of Essex and Hertfordshire to go into Tier 3 on Wednesday, Hancock tells Commons
LONDON and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will be plunged into Tier 3 from tomorrow night, Matt Hancock announced today after a "sharp rise" in cases.
Mr Hancock said in some areas the doubling time of the number of new cases is as short as seven days, and a new variant of the virus has emerged ripping through the south east of England.
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Mr Hancock said this afternoon: "When the virus is growing exponentially, there is not a moment to spare."
Greater London, the South and West of Essex and the south of Hertfordshire will be plunged into Tier 3 from 12.01am on Wednesday.
"Hospitals across the countries of Essex and Kent are already under pressure, and we know the doubling of cases will be mirrored in hospital admissions, and it only takes a few doublings for the NHS to be overwhelmed."
Around 34 million people will be in Tier 3 and 21.5million in Tier 2.
In Essex, Basildon, Brentwood, Harlow, Epping Forest, Castle Point, Rochford, Braintree & Chelmsford, Maldon, Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea borough councils will all be in the toughest measures.
And in Hertfordshire, Tier 3 will include Broxbourne, Hertsmere, Watford and the Three Rivers local authority area will all be thrown into the Very High Covid Alert level.
The infection rate in Basildon has soared to 563 per 100,000, and in Broxbourne numbers jumped to 358 per 100,000.
London's infection rate is still only 200 per 100,000, but Havering is one of the worst hotspots, with 471 per 100,000.
These areas had only spent 12 days in Tier 2 before being given tougher rules.
Across England, hospital admissions have jumped 13 per cent.
Mr Hancock said: "This action is absolutely essential, not just to keep people safe, but because we've seen early action can help prevent more damaging and longer lasting problems later."
And the Health Secretary announced the Government had alerted the World Health Organisation that the virus had mutated.
Mr Hancock said the new variant "which may be associated with the faster spread in South East of England".
There have been over 1,000 cases of the new variant, in over 60 local authority areas.
It comes as:
- A new strain of coronavirus has emerged and is ripping through the South East of England
- London Mayor Sadiq Khan today revealed there has been a 75 per cent rise in Covid cases
- Schools in Greenwich and Islington are set to close early - but No10 has said they should stay open
- Health officials have warned the Tiers will need to be toughened as they have failed to work
- Covid cases are rising in only two areas in the North, as a fresh surge hits the South
The emergency plans will mean pubs and restaurants will be forced to shut.
People in Tier 3 are not allowed to meet up with anyone from outside their household, except for in outdoor public places such as parks.
Speaking at Downing Street this evening, Mr Hancock would not rule out further action.
He said: "The best thing to do in the face of the virus is to act fast.. And we do not rule out further action.
"This rise in transmission and this new variant should be a warning to all to never lose sight of each of our own roles in this, our personal responsibility."
The Health Secretary also warned Brits repeatedly to be careful care at Christmas, as many people prepare to head home and see their loved ones.
He fell short of telling people to self-isolate before seeing elderly relatives, but he stressed people should be "extremely" cautious about who they see in the run up to the festive period.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "This is incredibly disappointing for our businesses who have suffered so much already this year.
"But it’s clear that the virus is accelerating in the wrong direction once again across London and the lives of Londoners are at risk."
And Chair of the Covid Recovery Group Mark Harper slammed the new restrictions, saying the Tiered system was "not working";.
He said: "I’m afraid that London and other parts of the South East moving into Tier 3 shortly shows that the current strategy to combat Covid isn’t working.
"We had a national lockdown in November, and since early December, 99 per cent of the country has been under the heightened restrictions of Tiers 2 and 3.
“If this strategy was working at breaking the transmission of Covid, we would today be talking about areas moving down the tiers, or developing an exit strategy from repeated lockdowns."
Areas to be in Tier 3 from Wednesday
- Greater London
Essex:
- Basildon
- Brentwood
- Harlow
- Epping Forest
- Castle Point
- Rochford
- Maldon
- Braintree
- Chelmsford
- Thurrock and Southend-On-Sea borough council areas
Hertfordshire
- Broxbourne
- Hertsmere
- Watford
- The Three Rivers local authority area
This morning, health bosses delivered a grim briefing to London MPs this morning warning that Covid is once again surging through the capital.
Infection rates have rocketed “exponentially” in all boroughs apart from Kensington and Chelsea, and cases are now "off the charts", politicians were told.
London’s hospital occupancy now stands at 93 per cent, too, with MPs worried about the impact in January, one of the busiest times of the year.
Before the surge in infections in the last few days, the earliest London was expected to go into Tier 3 was December 19, a few days after the review on December 16.
But the timetable has been dramatically hauled forward, with scientists and ministers believing more urgent action is needed to stop the sudden spiral in cases.
Last week Mr Hancock announced mobile testing units to be ordered into schools in London and the South East over soaring cases.
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'DEVASTATING'
The decision will be another harsh blow to pubs and restaurants.
Tory MP for Kensington and Chelsea Felicity Buchan demanded London be split up into different Tiers.
She said: "I note Essex and Hertfordshire have been split into two, partly Tier 2 and partly Tier 3.
"However Greater London has been treated as one, in central London our cases are significantly below the national average, and central London is the powerhouse of the national economy."
Ms Buchan demanded to know why the capital had been treated differently to the surrounding areas.
And Tory MP for Harlow and Chair of the Education Select Committee Robert Halfon said hospitality businesses are "on their knees."
Mr Halfon said he had supported all previous lockdown measures but had "real worries" about Harlow and Essex being thrown into Tier 3.
Tory candidate for London Mayor, Shaun Bailey blasted Mr Hancock for not breaking the capital down into separate Tiers.
He said: "Putting all of London into Tier 3 is a mistake — and I can’t support it.
"That’s why I’m calling on the government to rethink their decision and take a targeted approach."
CAPITAL UNDER STRAIN
One pub landlord, Gary Murphy, who owns Ye Olde Mitre Inn in North London told Sky News he was "devastated" at the decision.
He said: "We've done everything we possibly can and here we are again, closed down.
"I would love to see us being part of the solution, rather than the solution.
"I've got a load of stock downstairs.. I'm going to have a load leftover unless I can persuade the people of Barnet to have a last drink tonight.
"Lots of beer will be going down the drain."
Mr Murphy said the coronavirus crisis has been "unbelievably bad" for his pub.
"We have lost half a million in turnover. I've had no income since March. We really are struggling."
Theatre producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh has said the Government's decision to put London into a Tier 3 lockdown is "devastating" and also "smacks of panic".
Sir Cameron said in a statement: "The sudden volte-face by the government in deciding to immediately put London into Tier 3 and shut down the West End is devastating for both the theatre and the economy.
TOUGHER TIERS?
And in a bombshell intervention, health bosses have floated plans to toughen up Tier 3 amid fears the restrictions do not do enough to curb rates - but ministers have not signed up to the idea yet.
Public health chiefs told MPs this morning that more needed to be done, and Tier 3 was not having an impact in areas such as Kent.
It's not yet clear whether ministers are considering it.
Downing Street said this lunchtime the Tiers system had already been set out, but refused to deny it could be changed.
Tier 3 already sees shops, hairdressers and gyms remain open.
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SCHOOL'S OUT?
And Mr Khan has demanded schools be closed yet again to crack down on cases.
The move would force hundreds of thousands of pupils to study online and comes after Education Secretary Gavin Williamson's vowed to keep kids in school.
He revealed there has been a 75 per cent surge in coronavirus cases across the capital, but put it down largely to kids between the age of 10 to 19-years-old.
"I don't see many 10 to 19-year-olds in pubs, bars, restaurants," Mr Khan said, as he urged the Government to close schools a few days early rather than punishing the hospitality sector.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, he said "urgent consideration must...be given to closing secondary schools, sixth form and FE colleges a few days early and keeping them closed for longer after Christmas".
"With significant outbreaks among 10 to 19-year-olds, the Government must consider asking schools and colleges to close early and re-open later in January, with extra resource provided to support online learning."
Councils for the London boroughs of Greenwich and Islington have told schools in their areas to close early and move to online learning because of the surge in cases in kids.
Waltham Forest Council has also recommended schools shut and teach kids online.
Schools in the area will stay open for kids of key workers and vulnerable pupils.
Downing Street has said schools are expected to stay open until the end of term.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "We've consistently said that not being in school has a detrimental impact on children's learning as well as their own personal development and mental health.
"Which is why we expect all schools and colleges to remain open until the end of term on Thursday, as schools have remained open throughout the pandemic."
He declined to comment on whether any action would be taken against them if they defied orders.
COVER UP
Mr Khan has also demanded all workers who can't stay home be tested and for people to wear face coverings outside in public spaces too.
MPs were told by health ministers that schools would not be closed - and that shutting them would mean teenagers hanging around in shopping centres and other areas spreading the virus instead.
But another MP said: "Secondary schools should close today and go into remote learning."
LONDON-WIDE COVID SURGE
The average number of new cases over seven-days has risen in 32 local authority areas.
And there are 17 boroughs where the infection rate has jumped above 200 cases per 100,000.
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According to the latest figures, the borough of Havering has the highest coronavirus rate in London, with 1,314 new cases recorded in the seven days to December 9 - the equivalent of 506.3 cases per 100,000 people.
This is up from a rate of 321.3 in the seven days to December 2.
In the letter to Mr Johnson, Mr Khan called the surge in cases "deeply concerning".
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Face coverings should also be made mandatory in busy outdoor public spaces given the increase in Christmas shoppers over the coming weeks, he added.
Mr Khan said: "Time is running out to get the virus under control in our city which is why I urge the Government to heed my call and provide us with the extra support we desperately need."
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