The government held a meeting titled the Gold Command yesterday, it is said to have discussed the possibility of more areas being put in Tier 4 as soon as Boxing Day. The new strain of the virus has already spread to 57 areas across the UK.
The meeting consisted of health officials, politicians and local leaders who discussed how to contain the new strain – which spreads more easily than the original.
Leeds Live reported that one source had said it was “more than likely” that more areas would be getting put into Tier 4 as early as Boxing Day in a bid to halt the spread of the virus.
The Department of Health figures show 42 Tier 2 and 3 area rates that are higher than North Hertfordshire, which is currently in Tier 4. One of these areas is Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Its number of new cases in the last 7 days to 18th December is 263 per 100,000 compared to North Hertfordshire’s 244.8 per 100,000.
Matt Hancock hasn’t ruled out the closure of schools throughout January when pushed by Andrew Marr: “Straight question. Are schools going to reopen in January as normal?” Hancock replied that his task was to “weave a line through the incredibly difficult decisions where there are no easy options on either side.”
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