Coronavirus cases ‘levelling off’ across England ahead of three-tier system
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Coronavirus cases have begun to level off across most of England, with London reporting a decrease in new infections over the past week, according to the latest official data.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed cases in the west Midlands, east of England, London and the south are now decreasing.
The highest positivity rates remain in Yorkshire and The Humber, the North West and the North East of England, though they have started to level off.
Around 1 in 85 people in England currently have the virus — down from 1 in 80 the previous week.
That means England’s R rate, which measures the rate of spread of infection, is currently between 1 and 1.1 according to government estimates.
The latest figures showed that fewer than one per cent of London’s population tested positive for coronavirus in the week to 21 November.
ONS data found that coronavirus cases are currently falling in two-thirds of London boroughs.
The capital’s seven-day rate has now fallen from 199.6 cases per 100,000 on 15 November to 181.8 on 20 November.
It comes as health secretary Matt Hancock today unveiled the new three-tier system that will replace England’s nationwide lockdown on 2 December.
London will join the bulk of the country on “high” alert next Wednesday, while Manchester, Lancashire, Blackpool, Kent and Birmingham will enter Tier 3.
Just three regions — the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly — will enter Tier 1. That means almost 99 per cent of the English population will come under the higher Tier 2 and Tier 3 levels when they come into effect next week.
Hancock said: “I know for those of you faced with Tier 3 restrictions this will be a particularly difficult time but I want to reassure you that we’ll be supporting your areas with mass community testing and extra funding.”
The health secretary added that it was a “close call” on whether to place London in Tier 2 or Tier 3 — the highest level of restrictions — and warned that it could easily move to the top tier.
“There is a lot of work to do in London to keep it in Tier 2,” the health secretary told MPs.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said placing London in Tier 2 was the “right decision” for the moment, but cautioned against “complacency”.
“We know how quickly this virus can spread and we all need to keep playing our part and drive numbers down further across our city,” he said.
The mayor slammed the government’s decision not to scrap the capital-wide curfew, by instead extending it from 10pm to 11pm. “It is a real blow to pubs, bars and restaurants which have endured such a difficult year and deserve better,” he said.