Boris Johnson voiced bitter regret at brutal new coronavirus restrictions at Downing Street press conference
The Midlands, North East, parts of the North West and parts of the South West went into Tier 4 today
Everyone else apart from 2,000 people on Isles of Scilly, which is remaining in Tier 1, is under Tier 3 curbs
Mr Hancock tried to soften the blow by saying AstraZeneca vaccine approval will end the crisis by the spring
UK has ordered 100million doses - enough to vaccinate 50million people - with first jabs starting on Monday
Who will we sacrifice to get out of lockdown? Return to normal life by Easter depends if No10 will accept immunising only a fraction of the 31million most vulnerable people and giving up on herd immunity
Experts say lifting lockdown rules will be a risk whenever it happens and it must be a political decision
There are around 31million people on the vaccine priority list, each of whom must get two doses of a jab
But rules could be loosened before the list is complete is ministers can tolerate risk of pressure on the NHS
The highest risk group, of over-70s, those with health conditions and health workers, make up some 10m
Britain will need draconian lockdowns until AT LEAST the summer and Tier 4 rules can t contain new mutant strain, scientists warn as SAGE expert fears national action by end of January is inevitable
Experts say it will take months before effect of mass vaccination is broad enough to loosen lockdown rules
Although Matt Hancock claimed normality could return by spring, scientists expect lockdowns into summer
Social distancing and mask-wearing will have to continue for far longer, they said, to stop transmission
Young people are currently not on the vaccination list so even a successful roll-out won t stop virus circulating
Updated: 31 Dec 2020, 15:33
A STRING of illegal New Year’s Eve raves are being secretly planned across Tier 4 London, the Sun Online can reveal.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the events which could send Covid spreading even faster through the capital.
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Organisers face being slapped with a £10,000 fine for breaching Covid rules
Organisers are not being deterred by the prospect of £10,000 fines and are planning events similar to those in the summer when a string of illegal raves sent the r-rate soaring.
Three quarters of England is now in tier four, with some 44 million people under the toughest restrictions and household mixing banned.
Updates from the tumultuous day it was announced Teesside will go into Tier 4
Large parts of the north will go into the top tier
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Teesside is to go into Tier 4 lockdown on Thursday along with large swathes of the north, the Government has confirmed.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock made the announcement in the House of Commons on Wednesday as a new variant of covid-19 spreads across the country.
Teesside has been in the Very High tier 3 level since the end of the national lockdown at the start of December, meaning the closure of hospitality venues and tight restrictions on households mixing