Most of England enters tier 3 & tier 4 lockdown amid surging coronavirus strain

UK health secretary Matt Hancock said today that most of the country will now enter tier 3 and 4 lockdown amid the rising number of the new strain of coronavirus cases.

Watch:

The guidelines under tier 4 include "stay-at-home" order and the closure of "non-essential" services. The tier 4 measures will now be put in place in remaining part of UK's south-east region including in Midlands, north-east and south-west England.

The minister said tier 3 restrictions will be extended in north Yorkshire and Liverpool. Most of England will now be placed under tier 4 restrictions from midnight tonight, Hancock informed.

The tier 4 measures will also be implemented in Leicester City, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, Derby and Derbyshire, Birmingham and Black Country including Coventry and Solihull.

The tier 4 restrictions will also be put in place in Warwickshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, Gloucestershire, Bournemouth, Isle of Wight and Tees Valley

"There were over 53,000 coronavirus cases registered yesterday and unfortunately most of it was the new variant," Hancock said while emphasising that there was "threat to life" and pressure on England's health services.

However, the minister said more people can now get vaccinated as AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine will now be available from Monday with 535 million doses available.

A report on Tuesday had said that 24 million people which is nearly 43 per cent of the population in England is already under strict "stay-at-home" lockdown.

The UK is one of the worst-hit countries in Europe with over 2.3 million virus cases and over 71, 670 fatalities.