London’s monuments have been fenced off to deter revellers from throwing illegal New Year’s Eve celebrations tonight as the capital city prepares for 2021 under a strict lockdown.
Photos show Trafalgar Square closed off from public access while council officials boarded up Winston Churchill’s statue by Parliament as police threaten to take tough action against Tier 4 rule-breakers.
The Met warned yesterday that officers will break up and disperse illegal raves and gatherings across the capital tonight and will slap the organisers with £10,000 super-fines.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has also endorsed official calls to observe the New Year quietly at home alone unless living with friends or family, retweeting posts by Transport for London and Public Health England to avoid gatherings or mixing with different households.
It comes as SAGE experts today pressed the panic button by warning that a total national lockdown is ‘inevitable’ amid rising cases and coronavirus-linked deaths, as 20 million more people across England woke up to life under Tier 4 restrictions.
Commander Paul Brogden, leading this year’s anti-Covid operation, said: ‘We are still dealing with the stark reality of fighting a deadly virus. The public are all too aware that Tier 4 restrictions have been put in place to reduce the spread of the virus and to protect the NHS.
‘I would urge everyone to exercise caution, listen to government advice and celebrate the new year in the comfort of their own homes, not the homes of family and friends.’
In the latest twists and turns in the pandemic:
- Gavin Willliamson today refused to apologise as raging parents face schools chaos – with primaries on neighbouring streets getting different orders on whether to shut their doors;
- Having one of the new coronavirus vaccines does not mean Britons, including pensioners, can act with ‘wild abandon and go off to the bingo halls’, the deputy chief medical officer said;
- Britain will only have 530,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine at its disposal from Monday;
- Ireland is to return to a full lockdown for at least a month and will extent school holidays in a bid to curb a surge in the new mutant strain of Covid-19 which originated in the UK;
- NHS England medical director Professor Stephen Powis said ‘Covid loves a crowd’;
- The WHO has warned Covid is not necessarily ‘the big one’ and more deadly pandemic could sweep globe.
Statues are seen behind temporary protective fencing in Trafalgar Square, ahead of the New Year, in London
Trafalgar Square has been fenced off to deter revellers from throwing New Year’s Eve celebrations as London prepares for 2021 under lockdown. Photos show the plaza inclosed off from public access as police threaten to take tough action against Tier 4 rule-breakers
A statue of Winston Churchill is seen behind temporary protective fencing in Parliament Square, ahead of the New Year, in London
Two couples walk hand in hand as they make their way to a bar in central Liverpool ahead of the Tier 3 restrictions coming into force at midnight
London mayor Sadiq Khan has endorsed official calls to observe the New Year quietly at home alone unless living with friends or family
Just 2,000 people on the Isles of Scilly are left in Tier 1 – with everyone else in England now under the highest Tier 3 and 4 lockdowns from midnight
It comes as SAGE experts today warn a total national lockdown is ‘inevitable’ as 20 million more people across England woke up to life under Tier 4
He continued: ‘As we have throughout the year, if we become aware of planned events that breach Covid regulations, we will engage with organisers or venues to make them fully aware of the legal consequences and encourage them to cancel.
‘Failure to cancel such events, like unlicensed music events, will likely see the organiser facing a very significant fine.
‘Although the New Year is almost upon us, now is not the time for complacency or to meet with others and hold parties of any kind.
‘If people insist on gathering and breaching regulations, then officers will attend and encourage people to disperse.
‘Where necessary, enforcement action, including fines starting at £100 and working their way up to £10,000, will be considered.’
Commander Brogden added: ‘I would finally like to remind Londoners that there will be no firework show in central London this year. There is also a reduced service on some transport routes across the capital.
‘Please welcome in 2021 from the comfort of your own home instead of being stuck in central London with nothing to see and no easy way of getting home.’
The leader of the local authority covering London’s West End today urged revellers to stay away from central London on New Year’s Eve.
Cllr Rachael Robathan, leader of Westminster City Council, said: ‘Tier 4 rules in London mean we cannot have groups of people gathering in central London for New Year’s Eve.
‘There is nothing to hang around for, and gathering in numbers is not only a clear breach of the regulations but increases the risk of spreading Covid at a time when we are all responsible for limiting the particularly infectious new strain.
‘Many of us have foregone the traditional Christmas and I am afraid New Year’s Eve is going to fall into the same category. This is the last thing anyone wanted, but it is the price of containing this virus and creating the conditions for us to return to normality.’
It comes as Doctor Mike Tildesley, a member of the scientific modelling committee, which advises the Government as a subgroup of SAGE, says the whole country will likely have to be plunged into Tier 4 or a national lockdown ordered before the end of January in a bid to stem spiralling infection rates.
In a stark warning on BBC Radio 4 today, he said: ‘Cases are rising in a really concerning way, so I suspect that unfortunately we will see a ramping-up even further of restrictions, probably more of the country being in Tier 4 or ultimately probably a national lockdown before we get to the end of January’.
Boris Johnson warned of a new ‘reality’ with ‘mutant’ Covid rampant as he plunged virtually the whole of England into brutal lockdown until the Spring.
The PM voiced ‘bitter regret’ after it was announced that three quarters of the country will be in Tier 4 from midnight, adding the rest of the South East, Midlands, North East, parts of the North West and parts of the South West to the top bracket.
All remaining areas – barring just 2,000 people on the Isles of Scilly – are being escalated to Tier 3, including Liverpool, previously seen as an example of how to cope with the disease.
Meanwhile, secondary schools have seen their return delayed even further in January, with most pupils now shut out until at least January 18 – two weeks longer than originally planned – while testing systems are put in place.
Hundreds of primaries in the ‘highest infection’ areas will also not fully reopen from January 4, while secondaries will have to wait until the next tier review in two weeks to learn whether they must stay shut indefinitely.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are already in the midst of their own clampdowns amid fears over the more infectious ‘mutant’ strain that is running riot.
The seriousness of the situation was underlined as the UK recorded another 50,023 cases – a jump of a quarter over the same day last week – and 981 deaths, the highest since April.
Customers are seen enjoying a drink whilst sitting in the outdoor area of one Liverpool bar, despite near freezing weather
Revellers were spotted crowding the streets in Liverpool for the last time in 2020 as they queued to enter a bar for the last remaining hours before the region moves into Tier 3
Department of Health statistics show 18,227 Covid-infected patients were being cared for in hospitals across the nation on Christmas Eve – a 15 per cent rise in a week. Top officials say the highly infectious strain spreading rapidly across the country is to blame. For comparison, April 12 was the busiest day of the pandemic so far for hospitals in England, when 18,974 patients were occupying beds
At a Downing Street press conference, Mr Johnson and deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam made clear that hopes for a return to normality now hang on massively scaling up the vaccine rollout, after the Oxford/University AstraZeneca received approval from regulators.
However, even if the Government manages to crank up vaccinations to two million doses a week, it will still take months to cover enough of the population to ease restrictions safely. Matt Hancock has admitted that just 530,000 jabs will be available on Monday when they start being administered.
In another miserable signal, Mr Johnson warned that the public ‘should not, in any way think that this is over’ due to the positive news on vaccines as ‘the virus is really surging’. He said he ‘bitterly regretted’ the harsher restrictions but the ‘reality’ was that the virus was spiralling out of control.
‘We have to face the fact that we’ve got two big things happening at once in our fight against Covid – one’s working for us and one’s working against us,’ he said.
‘On the plus side we have got two valid vaccines, and we’re racing to get them out – and on the bad side there is a new strain of the virus which is spreading much faster and surging across the country.’
Referring to the new tier measures, Mr Johnson said: ‘At this critical moment, with the prospect of freedom within reach, we’ve got to redouble our efforts to contain the virus. No-one regrets these measures more bitterly than I do, but we must take firm action now.’
Mr Johnson said: ‘We must face the reality, the sheer pace of the spread of this new variant, requires us now to take even tougher action in some areas, and that does affect schools.’
Prof Van Tam said: ‘Unfortunately it is a pretty grim and depressing picture at the moment.’ He added that the NHS had yet to see the impact of mixing during the festive period.
From pub closures to bans on households mixing: What are the rules in Tiers?
Millions more Britons were plunged into the toughest tier four lockdown restrictions on Wednesday, while the rest of the country was moved up into tier three.
Among the areas of England moving to tier four from midnight tonight are the Midlands, parts of the North East and North West and parts of the South West.
An additional 20million people will moved to the highest tier. This means a total of 44million people will be in tier four, or 78 per cent of England’s population.
Some 12million people will be in tier three, or 22 per cent of the population, while no area will be in tier two. Only the Isles of Scilly will be left in tier one.
The main restrictions in tier four include no household mixing allowed, although one person can meet one other person outside in a public space
All non-essential shops and businesses must close, including personal care and indoor entertainment, and residents must not stay overnight away from home.
In tier three, the main restrictions are no household mixing allowed indoors or outdoors, except in parks and public gardens, and all hospitality is closed.
Here, MailOnline looks at what the rules mean for those in tiers three and four:
TIER FOUR – ‘Stay At Home’
Will my area be joining tier four?
A total of 44 million people will be living in tier four from 12.01am on Thursday, December 31. This is 78 per cent of the population of England.
The Midlands, North East, parts of the North West and South West are among those escalated to tier four, with almost all remaining areas escalated to tier three.
Some 20 million people have been added to tier four, in the following areas, which will apply from midnight tonight:
- Cheshire: Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester and Warrington
- Cumbria: Allerdale, Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Copeland, Eden and South Lakeland
- Derbyshire: Amber Valley, Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derby, Derbyshire Dales, Erewash, High Peak, North East Derbyshire and South Derbyshire
- Dorset: Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole
- Durham
- Gloucestershire: Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud and Tewkesbury
- Greater Manchester: Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan
- Hampshire: Isle of Wight and New Forest
- Lancashire: Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Burnley, Chorley, Fylde, Hyndburn, Lancaster, Pendle, Preston, Ribble Valley, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire and Wyre
- Leicestershire: Blaby, Charnwood, Harborough, Hinckley & Bosworth, Leicester, Melton, North West Leicestershire and Oadby & Wigston
- Lincolnshire: Boston, East Lindsey, Lincoln, North Kesteven, South Holland, South Kesteven and West Lindsey
- Northamptonshire: Corby, Daventry, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Northampton, South Northamptonshire and Wellingborough
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire: Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Broxtowe, Gedling, Mansfield, Newark & Sherwood, Nottingham and Rushcliffe
- Somerset: Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West & Taunton and South Somerset
- Staffordshire: Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, Stoke-on-Trent and Tamworth
- Tees Valley: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees
- Tyne & Wear: Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland
- Warwickshire: North Warwickshire, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick
- West Midlands metropolitan county: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton
- Wiltshire: Swindon
Is my area already in tier four?
The areas already in tier four are:
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Hampshire
- Hertfordshire
- Kent
- London
- Norfol
- Oxfordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- West Sussex
What are the main restrictions in tier three?
- No household mixing allowed, though one person can meet one other person outside in a public space
- All non-essential shops and businesses must close, including personal care and indoor entertainment
- Nobody can enter or leave tier four areas unless they have a reasonable excuse
- Residents must not stay overnight away from home
Can I see my friends or family indoors?
No, unless they are in the same household. The rules for this are the same in tier three.
Can I see my friends and family outdoors?
Yes, but not in private gardens. You can only socialise with one other person in outdoor public spaces, including parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, a public garden, grounds of a heritage site or castle, or a sports facility.
Does the ‘rule of six’ apply in tier four?
No. The ‘rule of six’ only applies in tier three and below. In tier four, you can only meet with one other person in an outdoor public space. Larger gatherings are banned.
Can I go shopping?
Not for non-essential items. Supermarkets and other essential shops will stay open, but non-essential retailers, such as those selling clothes, must close.
The full list of businesses and venues allowed to remain open is as follows:
- essential retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, building merchants and suppliers of building products and off-licences
- market stalls selling essential retail may also stay open
- businesses providing repair services may also stay open, where they primarily offer repair services
- petrol stations, automatic (but not manual) car washes, vehicle repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, and taxi and vehicle hire businesses
- banks, building societies, post offices, short-term loan providers and money transfer businesses
- funeral directors
- laundrettes and dry cleaners
- medical and dental services
- vets and pet shops
- animal rescue centres, boarding facilities, and animal groomers (may continue to be used for animal welfare, rather than aesthetic purposes)
- agricultural supplies shops
- mobility and disability support shops
- storage and distribution facilities
- car parks, public toilets and motorway service areas
- outdoor playgrounds
- outdoor gym, pools, sports courts and facilities
- golf courses
- archery/driving/shooting ranges (outdoors)
- outdoor riding centres
- places of worship
- crematoriums and burial grounds
Can I go the pub or restaurant?
No. These all have to shut under law, except for takeaway and delivery.
Can zoos and gardens stay open?
Yes. Certain outdoor venues, such as botanical gardens, heritage sites, and zoos and other animal attractions may stay open, although indoor elements at these attractions must close.
Can I get a takeaway?
Yes. Hospitality settings, such as pubs, cafes and restaurants are allowed to continue sales by takeaway, click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services.
What venues have to stay shut?
The majority of entertainment and tourist venues must close, as is the case in tier three, including:
- indoor play centres and areas, including trampolining parks and soft play
- casinos
- bingo halls
- bowling alleys
- skating rinks
- amusement arcades and adult gaming centres
- laser quests and escape rooms
- cinemas, theatres and concert halls
- snooker halls
Can indoor attractions at outdoor venues stay open?
No. Indoor attractions at mostly outdoor entertainment venues must also close.
Can leisure and sports facilities stay open?
No. Leisure centres, indoor gyms, indoor swimming pools, indoor sports courts, indoor fitness and dance studios, indoor riding centres and indoor climbing walls must all close.
Can I attend a live sports event?
No. There should be no public attendance at spectator sport or indoor performances and large business events should not be taking place. However, elite sport events may continue to take place without spectators.
Can large outdoor events take place?
No. The likes of performances and shows should not take place.
Can I still go to church?
Yes. Places of worship remain open, but you must not attend with or socialise with anyone outside of your household or support bubble while you are there, unless a legal exemption applies.
Can a wedding take place?
Yes. weddings can go ahead with restrictions on the number of attendees – six people can attend the ceremonies, and receptions are not allowed.
Can I go to a funeral?
Yes. Thirty people can attend funeral ceremonies, and six people can attend linked commemorative events
Can organised outdoor sport take place?
No, for most people. However, organised outdoor sport for under 18s and disabled people will still be allowed.
Can indoor sport take place?
No. Indoor gyms and sports facilities will close.
Can I still travel to places?
You must not leave your home unless you have a reasonable excuse, such as for work or education purposes.
If you need to travel you should stay local – meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live – and ‘look to reduce the number of journeys you make overall’.
The list of reasons you can leave your home and area include, but are not limited to:
- work, where you cannot work from home
- accessing education and for caring responsibilities
- visiting those in your support bubble – or your childcare bubble for childcare
- visiting hospital, GP and other medical appointments or visits where you have had an accident or are concerned about your health
- buying goods or services from premises that are open in Tier 4 areas, including essential retail, but these should be within your local area wherever possible
- outdoor recreation or exercise. This should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance within your Tier 4 area to do so if necessary (for example, to access an open space)
- attending the care and exercise of an animal, or veterinary services
Can I go on holiday to other parts of Britain?
No. You cannot leave your home or the place where you are living for holidays or overnight stays unless you have a reasonable excuse for doing so.
You are only allowed to stay overnight away from your home if you:
- are visiting your support bubble
- are unable to return to your main residence
- need accommodation while moving house
- need accommodation to attend a funeral or related commemorative event
- require accommodation for work purposes or to provide voluntary services
- are a child requiring accommodation for school or care
- are homeless, seeking asylum or a vulnerable person seeking refuge
- are an elite athlete or their support staff or parent, if the athlete is under 18 and it is necessary to be outside of the home for training or competition
Can I go abroad?
Yes, but with tight restrictions. For international travel see the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office travel advice for your destination and the travel corridors list.
You can also only travel internationally – or within the UK – where you first have a legally permitted reason to leave home.
The Government also advises that people should consider the public health advice in the country they are visiting.
TIER THREE – ‘Very High Alert’
Will my area be joining tier three?
A total of 12million people will be living in tier three from December 31. This is 22 per cent of the population of England.
The following areas will move into tier three from midnight tonight:
- Cornwall
- Devon: East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, Plymouth, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torbay, Torridge and West Devon
- Dorset
- Herefordshire
- Liverpool City Region: Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St. Helens and Wirral
- North Yorkshire: Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby
- Rutland
- Shropshire, including Telford & Wrekin
- Somerset: Bath & North East Somerset
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire: Bromsgrove, Malvern Hills, Redditch, Worcester, Wychavon and Wyre Forest
- York
Which areas are already in tier three?
The following areas are already in tier three:
- Bristol
- Humber
- North Somerset
- South Gloucestershire
- South Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
What are the main restrictions in tier three?
- No household mixing indoors or outdoors, except in parks and public gardens
- All hospitality is closed, except for takeaways and deliveries
- All accommodation and entertainment venues are closed
What does tier three mean?
This is a ‘very high’ alert level – the highest of the three-tier system – for areas with a very high or very rapidly rising level of infections, where tighter restrictions are in place.
Can I see my friends or family indoors?
No, unless they are in the same household. The rules for this are the same in tier four.
Can I see my friends and family outdoors?
Yes, but not in private gardens. You can only socialise in groups of up to six people in other outdoor public spaces, including parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, a public garden, grounds of a heritage site or castle, or a sports facility.
Does the ‘rule of six’ apply in tier three?
Yes. It applies to when you meet people from other households in outdoor public spaces. You cannot mix with other households indoors or in private gardens.
Can I go shopping?
Yes. Non-essential shops can remain open.
Can I go the pub or restaurant?
No. These all have to shut under law, except for takeaway and delivery.
Can I get a takeaway?
Yes. Hospitality settings, such as pubs, cafes and restaurants are allowed to continue sales by takeaway, click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services.
What venues have to stay shut?
The majority of entertainment and tourist venues must close, including:
- indoor play centres and areas, including trampolining parks and soft play
- casinos
- bingo halls
- bowling alleys
- skating rinks
- amusement arcades and adult gaming centres
- laser quests and escape rooms
- cinemas, theatres and concert halls
- snooker halls
Can indoor attractions at outdoor venues stay open?
No. Indoor attractions at mostly outdoor entertainment venues must also close, although indoor shops, through-ways and public toilets at such attractions can remain open.
This includes indoor attractions within:
- zoos, safari parks, and wildlife reserves
- aquariums, visitor attractions at farms, and other animal attractions
- model villages
- museums, galleries and sculpture parks
- botanical gardens, biomes or greenhouses
- theme parks, circuses, fairgrounds and funfairs
- visitor attractions at film studios, heritage sites such as castles and stately homes
- landmarks including observation decks and viewing platforms
Can leisure and sports facilities stay open?
Yes, with restrictions. Group exercise classes including fitness and dance should not go ahead. Saunas and steam rooms should also close.
Can I attend a live sports event?
No. There should be no public attendance at spectator sport or indoor performances and large business events should not be taking place. However, elite sport events may continue to take place without spectators.
Can large outdoor events take place?
No. The likes of performances and shows should not take place, with the exception of drive-in events.
Can I still go to church?
Yes. Places of worship remain open, but you must not attend with or socialise with anyone outside of your household or support bubble while you are there, unless a legal exemption applies
Can a wedding take place?
Yes. weddings can go ahead with restrictions on the number of attendees – 15 people can attend the ceremonies, and receptions are not allowed.
Can I go to a funeral?
Yes. Thirty people can attend funeral ceremonies, and 15 people can attend linked commemorative events
Can organised outdoor sport take place?
Yes. Organised outdoor sport, and physical activity and exercise classes can continue, however you are advised to avoid contact with other people.
Can indoor sport take place?
No. Organised indoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes cannot take place indoors.
There are exceptions for indoor disability sport, sport for educational purposes and supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s.
Can I still travel to places?
Yes, although you are advised to stay local and avoid travelling outside your local area, which means your village or town, or part of a city.
You should also continue to travel for reasons such as work, education, medical attention or if you have caring responsibilities.
You can also still travel to venues that are open, or for reasons such as work or education, but ‘should reduce the number of journeys you make wherever possible’.
Can I go on holiday to other parts of Britain?
No. You should ‘avoid travelling to other parts of the UK’, including for overnight stays other than where necessary, such as for work, education, youth services, to receive medical treatment, or because of caring responsibilities.
However, you can travel through other areas as part of a longer journey.
Can I go abroad?
Yes, with restrictions. For international travel see the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office travel advice for your destination and the travel corridors list.
The Government advises that people in tier three should ‘carefully consider whether they must travel abroad, and should follow the rules in their area’.
What about tiers two and one?
No areas will be in tier two from December 31.
Just 2,000 people remain in tier one – the population of the Isles of Scilly. The main restrictions in tier one are:
- The ‘rule of six’ must apply indoors and outdoors
- There must be table service in hospitality venues, with last orders at 10pm and closing time at 11pm
- Large sporting and entertainment events are allowed but with a limited audience.
LONDON: The largest jump in Covid-19 patients was recorded in the capital over the past week. They surged by 44 per cent from 1,551.6 to 2,236.7 beds occupied over the past seven days.
EAST OF ENGLAND: The second highest jump in infections was in this region, where they rose 43.9 per cent from 1,118.6 to 1,610.4
SOUTH EAST: This region – also under Tier 4 – recorded the third highest jump in the number of Covid-19 patients in hospital beds, after they rose by 27.8 per cent from 1,579.1 to 2,018
SOUTH WEST: Covid-19 hospitalisations rose by 11.4 per cent, from 803.3 to 894.9
MIDLANDS: Covid-19 hospitalisations rose by 5.6 per cent, from 2,489.6 to 2,630.6
NORTH EAST AND YORKSHIRE: Covid-19 hospitalisations rose by 2.7 per cent, from 2,131.3 to 2,188.1
NORTH WEST: Covid-19 hospitalisations rose by 1.6 per cent, from 2,011.9 to 2,044.9