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TIER 4 could last until EASTER - with fears the tough coronavirus lockdown could be extended across England.

A third of Brits were slapped with the strict new restrictions over the weekend and told they could not travel or form bubbles over Christmas Day after a new strain of highly infectious Covid-19 was detected.

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Boris Johnson told this evening's press conference that current restrictions could remain until EasterCredit: PA:Press Association

Empty streets in London over the weekend after the new lockdown was introducedCredit: London News Pictures

Matt Hancock yesterday said much of the lockdown hinged on a vaccineCredit: Sky News

The almost 20million Brits were told not to leave their regions in a desperate attempt to stop the new variant from spreading with experts warning it was 70% more infectious than the initial strain.

Speaking at tonight's Downing Street press conference, Mr Johnson told Brits they can look forward to a "very different world" by Easter.

But he indicated we could be living with tougher tiers of restrictions for months and urged people to be "totally realistic".

Mr Johnson said: "You would have to imagine a kind of world in which we'd kept the country in some sort of perpetual lockdown or kept kids out of school for the best part of the year, and I think that would have been really disastrous.

EASTER HOPES

"It was very, very important to keep moving forward as far as we possibly could. I think that was the right thing to do.

"And now that we have the vaccine coming in the way that we have, I think we can certainly look forward to a very, very different world for this country from Easter onwards.

"It's very, very important, not just for people's morale, but it's also totally realistic.

"We have every reason to be extremely hopeful about this country's ability to bounce back next year from Covid, and I think that is the right thing to say then and now."

More parts of England could be plunged into Tier 4, the government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance suggested.

Speaking alongside Boris, Sir Patrick said: "The evidence on this virus is that it spreads easily, it's more transmissible, we absolutely need to make sure we have the right level of restrictions in place.

Sir Patrick Vallance warned that more parts of England could be plunged into Tier 4Credit: PA:Press Association

"I think it is likely that this will grow in numbers of the variant across the country and I think it's likely, therefore, that measures will need to be increased in some places, in due course, not reduced.

"I think it is the case that this will spread more."

Mr Johnson also announced that half a million Brits have now received their first Covid vaccine jab.

Earlier, a spokesman for the PM said the latest data and transmission rate of the virus would continue to be reviewed over the festive period.

Asked if the Tier 4 restrictions were likely to last until Easter, the PM's official spokesman said: "We will obviously continue to keep the latest scientific data and transmission rate of the virus under review.

"We obviously won't keep these rules in place any longer than is necessary, but it's important (we) continue to look at the scientific data and evidence in order to inform our (decisions), but I would stress the important thing is for people to follow the rules."

He added: "We've introduced Tier 4… specifically to drive down the transmission rate of the new variant and to reduce the R rate."

But speaking about the new strain of the virus, Professor Peter Openshaw of Imperial College London, said it might be "necessary to extend" the Tier 4 restrictions further into England as the virus spreads.

The member of Nervtag, told "It’s very unlikely anything less than really effective measures are going to control it.

"My concern is people are not going to comply. It’s really important people appreciate the danger.

"It does seem inevitable it will spread but it doesn’t mean it’s useless trying to prevent that from happening."

Shops, restaurants and gyms were yet again forced to close as the new rules came into force yesterday.

Brits in Tier 4 have been warned to act like they ahve the virusCredit: EPA

Yesterday, the Health Secretary said it would be "very difficult" to keep the deadly bug under control without the vaccine having been widely administered after the new strain emerged.

And speaking to Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Matt Hancock yesterday admitted "we have got a long way to go".

He said: "The cases in the Tier 4 areas have absolutely skyrocketed in the last few days, two weeks or so. We have got a long way to go to sort this.

"We've essentially got to get that vaccine."

And when pushed over whether Brits in Tier 4 areas would remain in lockdown into the new year - despite a review expected on December 30 - he added: "Given how much faster this new variant spreads, it's going to be very difficult to keep it under control until we have the vaccine."

The Pfizer/BioNTechvaccine is currently being rolled out across the country with hopes the 25million vulnerable adults will be vaccinated by Easter.

The 40million doses of the vaccine are expected to be rolled out during the first half of next year and will be enough to vaccinate up to a third of the population.

It is also hoped Oxford/Astrazeneca jab will also be approved in the next few weeks.

But public health leaders have warned that the mutated form of Covid is already sweeping across the whole country.

Dr Susan Hopkins said every other part of the region has had cases detected in small numbers and risk seeing a similar explosion if infections are allowed to spread further.

She told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday: “It has been detected in many other parts of the country.

“Every region has cases but with very small numbers.

“It has also been detected in Wales, in Scotland, we have not had any detected in Northern Ireland.”

Brits were told their Christmas had been cancelled as Tier 4 was rolled out yesterday at midnight.

The areas in the new Tier 4

Kent
Buckinghamshire
Berkshire
Surrey (excluding Waverley)
The boroughs of Gosport, Havant, Portsmouth, Rother and Hastings
All 32 London boroughs and the city of London.
Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes, Luton, Peterborough
Hertfordshire
Essex (excluding Colchester, Uttlesford and Tendring).

Traffic is seen on London's A40 as new coronavirus restrictions came into force on SundayCredit: London News Pictures

St Pancras Station was packed as travellers fled LondonCredit: ITV

Long queues of traffic on the A40 in London after Boris Johnson's Tier 4 announcementCredit: Chris Eades

People wait for trains at a packed Paddington stationCredit: PA:Press Association

Data from the ONS shows that Covid cases are rising across England but in areas plunged into Tier 4, infections have soared during DecemberCredit: www.gov.uk

The new strain is spreading rapidly accounting for 28% of cases in November. But by December 9, around 60% of cases were down to the new strainCredit: www.gov.uk

What is the new Covid strain?

MILLIONS of Brits have been plunged back into lockdown amid fears of a new high velocity strain of coronavirus.

The new strain of coronavirus is feared to be 70 per cent more contagious than the original Covid bug.

While there is no evidence currently to suggest that the new strain is more deadly, the "frighteningly transmissable" variation has meant the Christmas bubble has been burst.

It's thought the new strain - called VUI202012/01 - emerged in London and the South East as early as September, Sir Patrick Vallance said at a Downing Street briefing.

The high velocity mutant strain has seen Covid more than double in the last week, as data shows a sharp increase in hospital admissions across London and the South.

Boris Johnson said that it was thought the new strain could also see the R rate increase by 0.4

UK authorities have since alerted the World Health Organisation.

Boris Johnson said he had "bitter regret" over the new rules but said the new rules were necessary as he announced the news on Saturday.

Travel and mixing households are now banned under the new highest level restrictions - with families elsewhere only allowed to form Christmas bubbles for one day on December 25 itself.

Mr Johnson said the tough crackdown will help save lives as a new mutant strain of coronavirus which is 70 per cent more contagious sweeps through the south of England.

He said: "Yes, Christmas this year will be very different, but we must be realistic.

"We are sacrificing our chance to see loved ones this Christmas, so we have a better chance of protecting their lives so we can see them at future Christmases. "

What are the new Tier 4 rules?

Tier 4 will include:

The Tier 4 will be similar to the November lockdown - with all but essential shops closed
The “stay at home” message is expected to be law
The plan to allow Brits to form social bubbles over five days will be ditched, with only those in Tiers 1 to 3 allowed to form a bubble on Christmas Day itself
International travel abroad is not advised - but won't be banned
People should not enter or leave Tier 4
People can only meet one person from another household in an outside space
They won't be reviewed until 30 December - after Christmas
Support bubbles will be still allowed
Weddings will be banned except for extreme cases - like those who are terminally ill

In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon introduced a travel ban to other parts of the UK and announced a brutal three week lockdown from Boxing Day.

The First Minister said 17 cases of the new mutant strain of Covid has been identified north of the border.

Wales has also gone into lockdown while Northern Ireland will enter a six-week shutdown on December 26.

In England, the PM warned the nation he could not ignore the terrifying new strain and vowed: "We have to act to protect the public."

Mr Johnson said: "As Prime Minister, it is my duty to take the difficult decisions, to do what is right to protect the people of this country.

Tier 4 could last until EASTER amid fears tough Covid lockdown could be extended across England