Hopes of normal family gatherings over Christmas have been thrown into doubt by health secretary Matt Hancock, who said he could not rule out further action after plunging millions of people in London and the southeast into the toughest tier 3 restrictions.
Chief medical officer Chris Whitty appealed for families to have a minimalist Christmas, warning that even a modest relaxation of social distancing rules over the festive period will put upward pressure on the virus and increase pressure on the NHS as it enters the busy winter months.
The warnings came as Mr Hancock revealed the discovery of a new variant of the Covid-19 virus, which he told MPs may be associated with the faster spread in the south-east of England where infections have spiked fast in recent days.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, Prof Whitty said that rates of infection were now doubling every seven days in parts of London, Essex and Kent, raising the prospect that the prevalence of the disease could double two more times before Christmas if left unchecked.
But he said it was too early to say whether the new strain of coronavirus was the cause for the rapid increases in infections in the area or may simply be more visible there because of the high number of cases. And he said there was no reason to believe it was more dangerous than earlier variants or would prove resistant to vaccines.
Tier 3 restrictions will close pubs, cafes and restaurants in the whole of inner and outer London as well as large swathes of Essex and Hertfordshire from a minute past midnight on Wednesday morning. Social contacts for more than 10 million people will be limited to meetings in public open spaces like parks.
The move two days ahead of a planned review of the regionalised restriction system provoked horror among business and some Tory MPs, with UKHospitality warning of an unfair, illogical and disproportionate burden on venues which have spent heavily on becoming Covid-secure, and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber warning that arbitrary restrictions will cost many West End theatre staff and actors their jobs.
It came as Downing Street insisted that schools and colleges should remain open up to the planned start of the Christmas holiday on Thursday, with the Department for Education threatening to use emergency powers to stop them closing early in London boroughs like Greenwich and Islington.
Prof Whitty added: said: On Christmas, I think all of us know that Christmas is a period of greater risk, and the festive season more generally is a period of greater risk.
But, at the same time, what we have to try to do, all of us as society, is trying to find this really difficult balance between doing things that are the least damaging we can achieve, whilst keeping the virus under control walking that really narrow path.
Mr Hancock indicated that ministers continue to push ahead with plans to allow three households to come together for a five-day period around Christmas.
But he added: I think it is important that all of us are cautious ahead of Christmas and very careful in terms of the contact that we have, especially with people who we know are vulnerable to this disease.