Boris Johnson said the country was entering a “new and crucial phase” in the fight against coronavirus, as he delivered a Downing Street press conference about the new “three-tier” system of lockdown restrictions.
Pubs, bars, casinos and gyms in the Liverpool city region will be forced to close from Wednesday after the city was classified a “very high” risk area due to surging rates of Covid-19 infection.
In “high risk” areas, indoor mixing between households will be banned, while current national restrictions including the rule of six and the 10pm curfew will apply to all other “medium risk” areas.
Mr Johnson is said to have thrashed out the final details of the restrictions during a Cobra emergency committee this morning and will hold a Downing Street press conference with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty this evening.