NON-ESSENTIAL shops, hairdressers and nail salons are to close from midnight tonight in Tier 4 areas.
The announcement was made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a bid to stop the deadly virus from spreading.
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Mr Johnson said: “We will introduce new registrations in the most affected areas, London the South East which are currently in Tier 3
“These areas will enter a new tier 4 which will be equivalent to the national restrictions in November.
“That means residents in those areas must stay at home apart from limited exemptions.
“Non essential retail, indoor gyms, personal care services must close.
Shops will be able to offer click and collect and deliveries.
It comes as….
London and parts of the south East are in Tier 4, which means Christmas has been cancelled for millions of people.
Christmas bubbles in Tier 4 areas have been cancelled and there is a “stay at home” message, asking people not to leave homes.
People should not travel in Tier 4 areas and you can only meet one person outside your household in a public space.
The new rules will be re-evaluated on December 30.
The new strain is blamed for a sudden surge in hospitalisations and The Sun understands evidence shows a dramatic hike in positive cases in London in the past week.
Boris has been trying to save Christmas, insisting Brits would be able to meet with their families thanks to the planned bubbles.
As a further 4.5million people — 38million in all — woke in Tier 3 restrictions today.
List of businesses that must close in Tier 4
THE list of businesses that must close in Tier 4.
Here is the list:
- Non-essential shops
- Hairdressers
- Nail salons
- Barbers
- Tattoo shops
- Beauty salons
- Gyms
- Leisure centres
Businesses already closed in Tier 3 areas:
- Bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants are closed except for takeaway and delivery
- Hotels, guest houses and B&Bs are closed
- indoor play centres and areas, including inflatable parks and soft play centres and areas (other than for people who have a disability)
- trampolining parks (other than for elite athletes, people with a disability, supervised activities for children and for formal education or training purposes)
- casinos
- bingo halls
- bowling alleys
- indoor skating rinks (other than for elite athletes, professional dancers and choreographers, people with a disability, supervised activities for children and for formal education or training purposes)
- amusement arcades and adult gaming centres
- nightclubs and adult entertainment venues
- laser quests and escape rooms
- cinemas, theatres concert halls – other than drive-in events, broadcasting performances, training or rehearsal
- circuses
- snooker and pool halls (other than for elite athletes)
- zoos, safari parks, and aquariums
- other animal attractions including farms
- water parks and aqua parks
- model villages
- museums, galleries and sculpture parks
- botanical or other gardens, biomes or greenhouses
- theme parks, fairgrounds and funfairs
- adventure playgrounds and parks, including ziplining
- visitor attractions at film studios,
- heritage sites such as castles, stately homes or heritage railways
- landmarks including observation wheels and viewing platforms
Full list of areas in Tier 4
HERE is the full list of areas in 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).
Wales and Northern Ireland have already announced a post-festive shutdown.
Stats released yesterday showed those living with Covid in England have risen by almost a fifth in a week.
The ONS said 567,300 people had the bug between December 6 and 12 — equal to one person in 95. The latest reproduction R number is now between 1.1 and 1.2.
Scientists have found this new strain of Covid-19 spreads faster than the original strain of the virus.
The new variant that has been found predominantly in Kent and neighbouring areas – but has spread as far as Scotland.