Large areas of southeastern England will move into Tier 3 tomorrow, taking the number of people living under England's toughest restrictions up to 38 million. London and Hertfordshire joined most of northern England and the Midlands in Tier 3 earlier in the week.
But the Government may be left with no choice but to introduce a "Tier 4" if the existing measures fail to contain the spread of the virus as the number of infections continues to soar.
A Whitehall official said: “There is a case for going further than Tier 3 and it is getting stronger.
"That could mean the closure of non-essential retail, stay-at-home orders. That would have to be actively considered in conversation with the local authority.”
The threat of COVID-19 crackdown after Christmas comes after yet more warnings that relaxing restrictions over the festive season could spark an "unrelenting tsunami" of cases.
Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said ministers should give "fresh and more detailed" advice to the public with a week to go until Christmas.
She said: "After a difficult year, it is everybody's instinct to want to be together and see loved ones - especially those who live far apart or feel isolated. But what is at stake is coming into sharp focus.
"Travelling and family visits associated with this time of year will undoubtedly lead to more cases, more pressure on NHS and care services, and more deaths.
"By turning the second and third waves into an unrelenting tsunami, we would begin 2021 in the worst possible way."
READ MORE: England locked down: MILLIONS hit with toughest measures
She said nurses would not enjoy Christmas "knowing what awaits them in January" and called on the Government to be "clearer about the risks - not just the rules".
Dame Donna said: "This virus isn't taking Christmas off and nor should we."
Up to three households are able to mix between December 23 and 27, while travel to and from Northern Ireland is also permitted on December 22 and 28.
In a bid to control the spread of coronavirus, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced on Thursday that Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Peterborough, Hertfordshire, Surrey (with the exception of Waverley), Hastings and Rother (on the Kent border of East Sussex), and Portsmouth, Gosport and Havant in Hampshire will all move into Tier 3.
Under the top level of restrictions, pubs and restaurants can only offer takeaway or delivery services and indoor entertainment venues are shut.
The changes mean a total of 38 million people will be living in Tier 3 from tomorrow - 68 percent of the population of England.
Bristol and North Somerset move down from Tier 3 to Tier 2, while Herefordshire will go down into Tier 1.
The announcements added to unease on the Tory benches about the Government's response to the pandemic, with Steve Baker, deputy chair of the Covid Recovery Group of lockdown-sceptic Conservatives, calling for clarity on how areas move between tiers.
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Elsewhere in the UK, ministers in Northern Ireland agreed to introduce a six-week lockdown from Boxing Day to curb rising cases - with the closure of non-essential retail and contact services, as well as restricting the hospitality sector to takeaway only.
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford warned that "small acts of selfishness" on an individual level were adding up to the problems seen in Wales, as he predicted other parts of the UK may need to introduce stricter restrictions after Christmas.
And in Scotland, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said tougher coronavirus restrictions after the festive period - including a potential lockdown - is a "possibility" due to a "rising tide of COVID".
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMieWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmV4cHJlc3MuY28udWsvbmV3cy91ay8xMzc0MDE4L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXRpZXItcmVzdHJpY3Rpb25zLWVhc2VkLWNocmlzdG1hcy1lbmdsYW5kLXRpZXItc3lzdGVtLXRpZXItMy10aWVyLTTSAX1odHRwczovL3d3dy5leHByZXNzLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWsvMTM3NDAxOC9jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy10aWVyLXJlc3RyaWN0aW9ucy1lYXNlZC1jaHJpc3RtYXMtZW5nbGFuZC10aWVyLXN5c3RlbS10aWVyLTMtdGllci00L2FtcA?oc=5
2020-12-18 08:22:00Z
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