Advertisement

Coronavirus: Oxford, Luton and parts of Yorkshire and Midlands to go into Tier 2

Watch: Coronavirus: Oxford, Luton and parts of Yorkshire and Midlands to go into Tier 2

Parts of the Midlands and Yorkshire as well as Luton and Oxford will move into Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions from 12.01am on Saturday.

In the North, the new areas that will soon have a 'high' alert level are:

  • East Riding of Yorkshire

  • Kingston upon Hull

  • North East Lincolnshire

  • North Lincolnshire

In the Midlands, the changes will affect:

  • Dudley

  • Staffordshire

  • Telford and the Wrekin

  • Amber Valley

  • Bolsover

  • Derbyshire Dales

  • Derby city

  • South Derbyshire

  • The whole of High Peak

  • Charnwood

Live updates on coronavirus from UK and around world

The changes mean people must not meet socially with anybody they do not live with or are in a support bubble with in any indoor setting.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there is a "worrying rise in cases right across the country" so "decisive action is needed".

He continued: "These restrictions are challenging for us all, but it is only by working together and following the rules that we will bring down the rates of infection.

"A failure to act now will only lead to longer disruption and greater economic damage."

Weekly infection rates in Luton stand at 156 per 100,000 people, while in Oxford it is 138.

In the Midlands, they vary but the highest is 439 in Charnwood, while the lowest is 170 in the Derbyshire Dales.

And in Yorkshire and the Humber, the highest weekly case rate is in North East Lincolnshire at 320, while the lowest is in North Lincolnshire at 196.

The new measures will be reviewed every 14 days to decide if they are still appropriate.

Labour called for a short lockdown known as a "circuit break" to coincide with half-term, following a similar call by the government's top scientific advisers known as SAGE at the end of September.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resisted those suggestions, saying his "local and regional approach" will "drive down the virus".

But Home Secretary Priti Patel refused on Thursday to rule out another national lockdown.

It comes as 23,065 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in the UK, and a further 280 died.

Watch: How does England's three-tier local lockdown system work?