Coronavirus: WHO warns pandemic at 'critical inflection point'

More than half of the population of England is currently living under the harshest Tier 4 restrictions – which include the closure of all non-essential retail and hospitality venues and a warning to stay at home. Now, it is expected that tougher restrictions will be introduced in the hope that the new strain of the virus can be curbed.

The strain, which was identified at the beginning of December in the UK, is thought to be up to 70 percent more contagious than previous incarnations of the virus.

A scary picture is emerging across the UK, with skyrocketing death rates that are now nearly as high as they were in the first peak back in spring.

Senior health officials and doctors are warning that the NHS is facing disaster if the infection rate is not slowed down, with patients being transferred to hospitals outside of hotspots like London due to a shortage of beds.

Professor Andrew Goddard told the BBC that the new variant was spreading across the UK and that NHS staff should brace themselves for a difficult few months.

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He said: “All hospitals that haven’t had the big pressures that they’ve had in the South East, London and south Wales should expect that it’s going to come their way.”

One in four coronavirus tests conducted in some London boroughs came back positive in the week before Christmas, with the virus spreading fastest in these areas.

The past four days have seen the UK record more than 50,000 new infections per day, the highest since records began.

More than 70,000 people have died throughout the UK from the virus since the start of the pandemic, which arrived in the UK almost a year ago.

When will Tier 5 be announced?

Currently, the Uk only has Tiers 1 to 4 but some have called for the implementation of a new ‘Tier 5’ for the worst affected areas.

A senior Whitehall source told Express.co.uk the Government could add “another level onto Tier 4, so like a Tier 5”, saying: “We are ruling nothing out, the new strain is of serious concern.”

The source added: “Tier 4 appears to not be strong enough.”

Express.co.uk has contacted the Government for clarity on what the new restrictions may be and when they may come into force, and will update this article in due course.

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What is Tier 5?

Tier 5 has not been announced by the Government yet, but it is likely to a have some, if not all, of the rules used in the initial lockdown which began on March 23.

It is expected new measures, if they materialise, will involve the closure of schools and universities.

Shielding advice would also come back, with clinically vulnerable people urged to not leave their homes and risk infection.

Stricter limits on meeting others could also be on the table, with absolutely no mixing outside of households allowed unless for necessary reasons, such as work or caring responsibilities.

There could also be a limit on how long people are allowed out for a day.

In the spring lockdown, it was only permitted to leave your house for one hour a day for exercise or to buy essentials, such as food and medicine.

Travelling to second/holiday homes could also be on the list of banned activities.

Working from home could also become mandatory if your job can be done at home.

Playgrounds could also close as well as all public leisure facilities.

Tier 4 restrictions are currently the strongest in England, with household mixing indoors completely banned and non-essential services and retail no longer allowed to open.

Tier 3 restrictions are in place pretty much everywhere else aside from the Isles of Scilly, who are lucky enough to be under Tier 1 restrictions.

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