UK coronavirus live: Hancock holds news briefing after revealing new Covid variant and putting more areas into tier 3
Latest updates: health secretary holds press conference after tougher restrictions announced for London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire
- London to enter tier 3 Covid restrictions from Wednesday
- Tier 3 restrictions explained
- Dozens of London and Essex schools move lessons online
- No 10 urged to rethink Christmas rules to head off rise in cases
- What we know about spread of Covid among children in the UK
- Global coronavirus updates – live
On the variant, Prof Whitty said there is no evidence symptoms are different or worse or testing has to be different.
On Christmas, Prof. Whitty: “There is never a perfect time to go into any tier. The reality is it does reduce the virus, but it requires everyone to buy into that. Go to late and you risk spreading the virus, go too early and you damage business.
“What everyone is trying to do, is to try and get a balance that is reasonable between these two very difficult decisions.”
Once again we’re asking Londoners to pull together to help us get ahead of the curve. It is difficult. We are making the right decisions at the right time.”
