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Map shows the parts of England under strict COVID lockdown rules

A coronavirus NHS billboard warns pedestrians at Liverpool central station in Liverpool, north west England on October 14, 2020, as new local lockdown measures come in to force to help stem a second wave of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. - The northwest city of Liverpool -- the only place put into the highest category -- will see a ban on household mixing and pub closures from today for at least four weeks. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
A coronavirus NHS billboard warns pedestrians at Liverpool central station as the city becomes the first to be placed into the highest category, Tier 1. (AFP via Getty Images)

Vast swathes of England have had their coronavirus tier-status moved up a level as tighter lockdown restrictions loom for millions.

London will move into the second tier of measures – categorised as ‘high’ - with a ban on households mixing indoors, including in pubs and restaurants, being introduced from Saturday, as well as other tighter measures.

The capital has moved from Tier 1 to Tier 2 along with Essex, Elmbridge, Barrow-in-Furness, York, North East Derbyshire, Erewash and Chesterfield.

But a bitter political row has so far prevented Greater Manchester being moved into Tier 3, with Matt Hancock telling MPs he wanted to see “rapid progress” on the issue.

The Health Secretary’s announcement means that more than half of England’s population will be under Tier 2 ‘high’ alert or Tier 3 ‘very high’ restrictions.

Hancock told MPs: “Let us be under no illusions about the danger posed by this virus.

“Coronavirus is deadly and it is now spreading exponentially in the UK.”

The new tiered system came into effect on Wednesday and the decision to re-categorise areas so quickly is an indication of growing concerns about the speed at which the virus is again spreading.

Liverpool City Region, comprising 1.6 million people, remains the only area currently in Tier 3.

The map below shows how far the restrictions stretch:

COVID map shows which areas in England are under tightest restrictions (PA)
COVID 'three-tier' map shows which areas in England are under tightest restrictions (PA)

For the full list of Tier and Tier 3 areas, please see the bottom of this article, or go to the gov.uk site for the latest information.

Government accused of contempt

Manchester leaders have accused the government of treating the North with “contempt” as a bitter row erupted.

Mayor Andy Burnham said the North was “fed up of being pushed around”, claiming the region was being treated “as the canaries in the coalmine” for an experimental regional lockdown strategy.

But the Government’s own top scientific advisors have told him such a strategy has no guarantee of success, claimed Mr Burnham, and will result in job losses and hardship.

A key sticking point is the extra funding that would be made available to Greater Manchester if harsher lockdown measures are imposed.

A clearly angry Mr Burnham said measures proposed by Whitehall go “way beyond” the closure of pubs.

He said: “It is wrong to place some of the poorest parts of England in a punishing lockdown without proper support for the people and businesses affected.

“Last night the deputy chief medical officer told the leaders that to bring the infection rates down any regional lockdown would require widespread closures way beyond pubs to stand any real chance of working.”

He suggested a national “circuit-break” or limited national lockdown, is preferable to a regional lockdown for the North.

Londoners concerned

London Mayor Sadiq Khan told City Hall the move to Tier 2 is based on “expert public health and scientific advice about what is necessary to save lives in the capital” but stressed that he was pushing for extra support from the government.

“Nobody wants to see more restrictions – but this is deemed to be necessary in order to protect Londoners’ lives by myself, London council leaders and by ministers,” he said.

A man wearing a face mask and suit exits Bank underground station, in front of the Bank of England and Royal Exchange Building, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, July 30, 2020.  REUTERS/John Sibley
London has had its status raised to Tier 2 - high - as coronavirus infection numbers continue to rise exponentially in the capital. (Reuters)

The ban on households mixing indoors could prove devastating for the capital’s 3,640 pubs and 7,556 restaurants, which will see business suffer but will not be eligible for government support available to premises which have been ordered to close.

Lawrence Santi, CEO of Marylebone Leisure Group, runs a family of award-winning cocktail bars and restaurants in and around London.

He told Yahoo News UK: “These new measures, on top of the existing misguided restrictions, will have zero effect on the spread of the coronavirus.

“We need only look at what has happened elsewhere to work that out. In fact the only effect these restrictions will have is mass unemployment and continued systematic desolation of the hospitality industry.”

Tory MP Nickie Aiken, who represents the Cities of London and Westminster, said: “Whilst I appreciate the public health crisis we find ourselves in, I remain deeply concerned about the impact further lockdown will have on the capital’s hospitality, leisure and retail businesses.”

As the latest restrictions were announced, the troubled NHS Test and Trace system recorded its worst ever week for contact tracing.

Data shows 62.6% of close contacts of people who tested positive for COVID-19 in England were reached through the system in the week ending 7 October.

This is the lowest weekly percentage since Test and Trace began, and is down from 69.5% the previous week.

The full list of places under Tier 2 restrictions are:

Cheshire

Cheshire West and Chester

Cheshire East

Warrington

Greater Manchester

Manchester

Bolton

Bury

Stockport

Tameside

Trafford

Wigan

Salford

Rochdale

Oldham

Derbyshire

High Peak ‒ the wards of:

Tintwistle

Padfield

Dinting

St John’s

Old Glossop

Whitfield

Simmondley

Gamesley

Howard Town

Hadfield South

Hadfield North

Lancashire

Blackpool

Blackburn with Darwen

Burnley

Chorley

Fylde

Hyndburn

Lancaster

Pendle

Preston

Ribble Valley

Rossendale

South Ribble

West Lancashire

Wyre

West Yorkshire

Leeds

Bradford

Kirklees

Calderdale

Wakefield

South Yorkshire

Barnsley

Rotherham

Doncaster

Sheffield

Durham

Durham

Northumberland

Northumberland

Tyne and Wear

Newcastle

South Tyneside

North Tyneside

Gateshead

Sunderland

Tees Valley

Middlesbrough

Redcar and Cleveland

Stockton-on-Tees

Darlington

Hartlepool

West Midlands

Birmingham

Sandwell

Solihull

Wolverhampton

Walsall

Leicestershire

Leicester

Oadby and Wigston

Nottinghamshire

Ashfield

Bassetlaw

Broxtowe

Gedling

Mansfield

Newark & Sherwood

Nottingham City

Rushcliffe

The following places will be under Tier 2 from Saturday onwards:

Cumbria Barrow-in-Furness

Derbyshire Chesterfield, Erewash, North East Derbyshire

Essex Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Maldon, Rochford, Tendring, Uttlesford

London all 32 boroughs plus the City of London

Surrey Elmbridge

York York

The following is under Tier 3 restrictions:

Liverpool City region

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