Tier 4 restrictions introduced in London and the south east. Relaxation for Christmas mixing scrapped.

There is a new variant of the corona-virus which increases the transmission rate. Today the Government have announced that Tier 4 restrictions come into force in London and the south-east from 12.01 on Sunday morning.

Given the early evidence on the new variant of the virus, the potential risk means Christmas can no longer go ahead as planned

Those in tier 4 areas should not mix with anyone outside their household at Christmas, though support bubbles will remain in place.

Across the rest of the country, up to three households can meet but this will be limited to Christmas Day only, rather than the five days previously set out.

There will be no relaxation on the 31 December, so people must not break the rules for new year’s.

Tier 4 restrictions are broadly equivalent to the national restrictions brought in during November.

In tier 4:

·         Residents must stay at home, apart from limited exemptions

·         Non-essential retail, indoor gyms and leisure facilities and personal care services must close

·         People must work from home if they can, unless this is not possible eg manufacturing and construction sectors

·         People should not enter or leave tier 4 areas

·         Tier 4 residents must not stay overnight away from home

·         You can only meet one person from another household in an outdoor public space

·         Communal worship can continue to take place

·         The new variant is concentrated in tier 4 areas, he says, but is nonetheless present around the country.

·         Everyone in all tiers must stay local, he says.

·         Carefully consider whether you need to travel abroad, Johnson says, and follow the rules in your tier.

·         Those in tier 4 will not be permitted to travel abroad, apart from limited exceptions such as for work purposes.