Richard Spurr 1am - 4am
Coronavirus review: Areas most at risk of moving into tier 3
9 December 2020, 13:48
Is London and Essex moving into tier 3 soon? The parts of England where coronavirus cases are rapidly rising and at risk of further lockdown rules.
Coronavirus cases and numbers in England have generally began to fall, however, there are areas in the country where cases have risen dramatically - including London and parts of Essex.
With cases growing, fears of heading into tier 3 have grown when the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his team of experts review the Covid tiers later this month.
The most recent Public Health England data has shown where cases have soared leaving some areas of the country worrying about moving to tier 3 on December 16.
London must enter tier 3 'in the next 48 hours' or risk 'terrible situation'
Here are the areas most at risk of moving into tier 3 from tier 2:
London
Currently in tier 2, people living in London have been warned to follow coronavirus rules or risk being placed in a higher tier.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “The number of cases in London are rising again and if we don’t all work together now we may face tougher restrictions across the capital.
“I urge all Londoners to follow the rules - for the good of the loved ones that we want to see over the festive period and to help all our local businesses who need our support. No one wants to see a devastating further surge in cases or the need for more restrictions."
Rates of coronavirus are up 23 across 32 of the boroughs with Havering having the highest rate anywhere in London.
Matt Hancock on London entering Tier 3
Essex and East England
Covid rates are rising in most areas according to latest data, with 35 out of a total 45 in the region.
Basildon and Brentwood in Essex have the highest rates in the region.
Runnymede, Surrey
In a seven day period, figure in Runnymede has jumped from 128 to 246 showing a rapid increase.
At present, nothing has been confirmed ahead of the Covid tier review - aspects such as case detection rates, the rate of which cases are rising and falling and pressure on the NHS are all taken into consideration when reviews are taking place.