More areas of the UK could be moved into Tier 4, Sir Patrick Vallance says

A new nationwide lockdown could be on the cards

More areas of the UK could be plunged into Tier 4 lockdown, according to the government's Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. Authorities say a new strain of coronavirus is spreading across the UK and Europe. As a result, areas including London, South East England and Wales have been put under strict Tier 4 restrictions. This new mutation, VUI-2020/01, is believed to spread quicker than the original coronavirus. Tier 4 restrictions include:

• The closure of non-essential retail, close contact services, gyms, leisure centres and hospitality
• Pubs and restaurants to become takeaway only
• Stay at home restrictions
• Work from home if you can

With Prime Minister Boris Johnson unable to confirm whether English schools would reopen in January, Sir Patrick Vallance said it is possible more areas of the country could face Tier 4 measures. [caption id="attachment_259489" align="alignnone" width="2048"] More areas of the UK could be moved into Tier 4, according to the government's Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. (Photo by Tolga Akmen - WPA Pool/Getty Images)[/caption] Speaking at the government's coronavirus press briefing earlier today, Vallance said: "The evidence on this virus is that it spreads easily, it's more transmissible, we absolutely need to make sure we have the right level of restrictions in place. "I think it is likely that this will grow in numbers of the variant across the country and I think it's likely, therefore, that measures will need to be increased in some places, in due course, not reduced." Vallance reasserted claims that this new strain of coronavirus is spreading faster than the original strain. This may result in further lockdown measures being implemented. "The conclusion was that the experts have high confidence in the fact that this is transmitting more readily," he said. "That again reinforces the point that it's important to get ahead of this and to make sure that the tiering system is adequate to stop things going, and not to watch it and react in retrospect." Regarding the potential reopening of schools (which was initially planned for January), Boris Johnson said the situation is under "constant review".