The areas of England set to be included in tier three lockdown with pubs and gyms closing

A new three-tier system of local lockdown measures for England will be announced by the Prime Minister in an effort to curb rising Covid-19 rates.

– What is happening?

Different parts of the country will be split up into “medium”, “high” or “very high” local coronavirus alert areas under the new system Boris Johnson is expected to announce on Monday.

It comes after the Prime Minister held a telephone conference with Cabinet colleagues on Sunday to discuss the situation and ongoing negotiations with local leaders in the north of England.

– Which areas may be placed into tier three?

It is not yet clear how an area will be placed into a tier, or to what extent regulations will be written and enforced locally.

However, Nottingham continues to have the highest rate in England, with 2,763 new cases recorded in the seven days to October 8 – the equivalent of 830.0 cases per 100,000 people.

This is a huge jump from 314.5 per 100,000 in the seven days to October 1.

Nottingham City Council expects a local lockdown to be imposed on Monday, with councils in the area asking residents to not mix with people outside of their households or bubbles.

– What about elsewhere?

Merseyside is expected to be among the areas subjected to Tier 3 restrictions – but there is still disagreement about a financial support package for the area should harsh measures be imposed.

A statement from seven local leaders, including Metro mayor Steve Rotheram and Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson, said: “We made it clear we do not feel that the Furlough scheme announced recently is adequate and that businesses in the Region especially those in the hospitality sector and those serving it will be damaged and many will suffer long term damage or close for good.

“Government made it very, very clear they would not shift and improve the scheme.”

The Government has said pubs and bars, betting shops, casinos, adult gaming centres and gyms will close, while The Sun reported overnight stays in the worst-impacted areas would also be prevented and all-but-essential travel bans put in place.

The paper said Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle may also be subject to the toughest of lockdown measures which will be implemented four weeks at a time.

Knowsley and Liverpool, two of the affected areas, are in the top three for infection rates in England – at 669.5 per 100,000 people and 598.5 respectively.

– What do the tiers mean?

The three tiers represent an advancing scale of local restrictions.

Tier one restrictions are thought to be the baseline restrictions in place across England, including a 10pm hospitality curfew and a ban on most gatherings of more than six people.

Tier two restrictions are expected to be similar to rules currently in place in Middlesbrough and parts of the North East, where indoor mixing of households is not allowed.

Two households may be allowed to meet in a private garden, as long as the rule of six and social distancing are followed.