Prime Minister Boris Johnson to hold press conference amid 'rapid spread' of new Covid-19 variant
Boris Johnson is to hold a press conference this afternoon amid growing concern over a new strain of the coronavirus spreading in the south east of England.
The Cabinet met this lunchtime to discuss the mutation of the virus and the troubling increase in infection rates, just days before the planned easing of restrictions for the Christmas holidays.
It comes as it has been confirmed this week that the new strain has been identified in a Suffolk town.
Earlier, England’s Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, confirmed the newly-identified mutation of the virus does appear to be spreading faster that previous strains, and work is ongoing to assess its danger to those infected.
According to The Times, the Prime Minister will announce London, South East and East areas move into new Tier 4 with a "stay at home" message by law.
It is understood only Christmas bubbles will be allowed for Tiers 1 to 3 on Christmas Day with a message to stay local.
The Prime Minister is expected to address the nation alongside Prof Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance at 4pm.
It is thought new restrictions will be imposed on travel or banning people from commuting in and out of London, according to the Telegraph.
The South East could, in effect, be cut off from the rest of the UK to stop the more infectious mutant strain spreading further across the country.
Scientists say there is a possibility that this variant of the virus could have a "transmission advantage", a significant concern ahead of the festive period when there is expected to be an increase in households mixing indoors - ideal conditions for increased spread of the disease.
Suffolk remains in Tier 2 after this week's review into the tiered restrictions, with recent data – for the seven days to December 13 – showing that there were 940 positive cases of Covid-19 in the county, up 316 on the previous seven days.
The rate for Suffolk is 123.5 cases per 100,000 people, significantly lower than the national rate for England, at 219.6.
Of the districts in Suffolk, Ipswich – where the new strain of coronavirus has been identified – has the highest rate at 215.5. Meanwhile, West Suffolk has the lowest rate in the county at 86.
Read more: All the latest news from Suffolk