Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday evening. We'll have another update for tomorrow morning.
1. London to join tier 3
London, as well as parts of Essex and Hertfordshire, will move into tier three - England's highest tier of coronavirus restrictions - from 00:01 GMT on Wednesday. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said action had to be taken immediately to slow surging rates of infection. Tier three restrictions mean pubs and restaurants must close except for takeaway and delivery services. The changes will affect Greater London, the south and west of Essex (Basildon, Brentwood, Harlow, Epping Forest, Castle Point, Rochford, Maldon, Braintree and Chelmsford, along with Thurrock and Southend-On-Sea borough councils), and the south of Hertfordshire (Broxbourne, Hertsmere, Watford and the Three Rivers local authority). You can read more about England's different tiers and what they mean here.
2. New coronavirus variant
The surge in cases in the south-east of England may in part be due to a new variant of coronavirus. The health secretary said at least 60 different local authorities in England have recorded Covid infections caused by the new variant. He said the World Health Organization had been notified and the Porton Down science laboratory was doing detailed studies - but added there was "nothing to suggest" it caused worse disease or that vaccines would no longer work. "We've currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant predominantly in the south of England, although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas," he told MPs. BBC medical editor Fergus Walsh said the new variant was "nothing to panic about now, but absolutely right that the geneticists at Porton Down and elsewhere do all the due diligence and look at this".
3. Christmas warning for Scotland
Meanwhile, people in Scotland have been urged to "cut down on unnecessary contacts" now if they plan to meet up with relatives at Christmas. Rules on household meetings are being eased across the UK between 23 and 27 December, allowing up to eight people from three households to meet indoors. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said those who choose to do this should cut contacts now to be as safe as possible. She said the "best Christmas gift we can give family and friends" is to "keep our distance and keep them safe". Ms Sturgeon also urged people not to hold office Christmas parties, saying they present a "real risk of transmission". You can read more about the UK's Christmas Covid rules here.
4. US vaccinations begin
The first Covid vaccinations approved for public use in the US are expected to take place in the coming hours, with high-risk healthcare workers set to be first in line. Millions of frozen vials of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are being distributed, with almost 150 hospitals expected to receive doses on Monday. The US - where Covid deaths are nearing 300,000 - is gearing up for its largest ever vaccination campaign, with the aim of reaching 100 million people by April. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine received emergency-use authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday.
5. Artist honours NHS workers
A series of paintings of NHS workers who have put their "life on the line" during the pandemic pay "tribute" to their bravery, their creator has said. Aliza Nisenbaum used photos and Zoom calls to create portraits of nurses, doctors, porters and a hospital chaplain for Tate Liverpool. She said they were about how workers "balance life" on the front line. Nurse Ann Taylor said she took part "on a whim", having been drawn by the chance to have "my 15 minutes of fame". Nisenbaum, who is known for her bright, large-scale portraits of people and community groups, created the works in her New York studio, using video calls and photographs to get to know her subjects.
And don't forget...
Find more information, advice and guides on our coronavirus page.
Plus, many of us are hoping to return to the office in 2021, but workplace air quality is a growing concern. What are employers and tech companies doing to improve it?
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2020-12-14 17:16:00Z
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