London: Most of England will face harsh coronavirus restrictions in the new three-tier system when the lockdown ends next week, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced Thursday.
Large parts of the Midlands, North East and North West, including Greater Manchester, as well as Kent, will face the toughest restrictions in Tier Three, according to Hancock.
A majority of areas previously in the highest tier, including London and Liverpool city region, are listed in Tier Two, the Xinhua news agency reported.
The Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are the only areas of England placed in Tier One, the lowest level of restrictions.
"Hope is on the horizon but we still have further to go. So we must all dig deep," Hancock told MPs in the House of Commons (lower house of the British Parliament).
"We should see these restrictions not as a boundary to push but as a limit on what the public health advice says we can safely do in any area," he said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Monday a "tougher" tiered system of coronavirus restrictions to replace England's current lockdown when it ends on Dec. 2.
Under Tier One, people in the areas will be urged to work from home wherever possible.
In Tier Two areas, pubs and bars must close unless they are serving substantial meals along with alcoholic drinks.
In Tier Three areas, all pubs, bars and restaurants must close except for delivery, takeaway and drive-through. Hotels and indoor entertainment venues must also close in these areas.
England is currently under a month-long national lockdown, the second of its kind since the coronavirus outbreak in Britain, in a bid to quell the resurgence of coronavirus.
The coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 696 to 56,533, marking the highest daily death number since May 5, according to official figures released Wednesday.
Another 18,213 people in Britain have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 1,557,007, the data showed.
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the US are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.
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