Coronavirus latest news: Manchester, Birmingham, Kent to go into Tier 3, London in Tier 2 - watch Matt Hancock live

A total of 23.3 million people in England - 41.5 per cent of the population - will be in Tier 3 of the Government's Covid-19 restrictions from December 2.

Find out which tier your region is in here.

Mr Hancock is asked if an "appeals process" will be available for regions wanting to get out of restrictions early.

But he says the tiers will be reviewed in two weeks, and after that they may be able to be reviewed weekly with comments welcomed from local leaders.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan thanks Londoners for helping the capital move to Tier 2 restrictions, but criticised the Government for measures such as the curfew on pubs.

"Whilst I welcome the Government's decision to place London in Tier 2, I am extremely disappointed that the Government is sticking with specific measures that seem to cause more harm than good," he said.

"I am pleased we managed to persuade the Government to get rid of the 10pm curfew but extending it to 11pm, when it should be scrapped altogether, is a mistake.

"It is a real blow to pubs, bars and restaurants who have endured such a difficult year and deserve better."

The map below shows the change to the local tier restrictions from before and after the national lockdown.

Jeremy Hunt, the former Health Secretary, "nothing would be more crazy than taking over feet off the accelerator" when it comes to allowing people to meet at Christmas.

But he goes on the urge Mr Hancock to get mass testing for care homes in place so visitors can once again see their loved ones.

Mr Hancock says using testing to facilitate visits in care homes is the "kind of technology" available to get life back to normal.

Mr Ashworth asks the Health Secretary if he can guarantee the measures announced today will be enough to bring down the R rate below 1 and control the virus until the vaccine roll out next year.

Mr Hancock says bringing the R rate below 1 is the Government's "goal".

He adds the statement he outlined "is the exit strategy" for keeping the virus down until we get a vaccine, along with widespread community testing, to have the minimum damage to the economy.

The Government's postcode tool may have crashed as soon as it launched this morning...

But have no fear, The Telegraph's data team have you covered with all the information on which area is under which Tier. 

Click here to find out which tier your local area will come under from next week.

We must all "dig deep" and "not give up now", Mr Hancock says as he wraps up his statement. 

Jon Ashworth, Shadow Health Secretary, begins by saying here is "light at the end of the tunnel" due to the recent vaccine news, but we are "still in the tunnel".

He asks Mr Hancock what role local leaders have in informing the tier levels, and what financial support is being offered to Tier 3 areas. 

Mr Hancock pays tribute to the people of Liverpool for their "leadership, responsibility and true sense of public service", for getting the virus under control and being moved down into Tier 2.

Mr Hancock says the tier levels will be reviewed in two weeks. 

"Regardless of your tier, I ask everyone, we must all think of our own responsibilities to keep the virus under control," he says. 

"The less any one person passes on the disease, the faster we can get this disease under control together," he adds.

Mr Hancock says he "knows" more areas will want to be under Tier 1, including his own constituency in Suffolk.

"But despite the fact Suffolk overall has the lowest case rate overall outside of Cornwall and the Isle of Wight, our judgement based on all of the indicators and based on the public health advice is that Suffolk needs to be in Tier 2 to get the virus under further control," he says.

The majority of England will be under Tier 2, Mr Hancock confirms.

He says there are more areas than before in the top two tiers and this is "necessary to keep the virus under control and protect the NHS".

"The lowest case rates are in Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and Isles of Scilly, which will go into Tier 1, in all three areas they've had very low case rates throughout and I want to thank residents for being so vigilant during the whole pandemic," he says.

Mr Hancock says the country will return to a tiered approach from next week, to control the virus where cases are highest and retain "greater freedom" in areas where cases are lowest.

"We must make the tiers tougher than they were before, to protect the NHS through the winter and avert another national lockdown," he says.

"In Tier 1 if you can work from home you should do so, in Tier 2 alcohol must only be served in hospitality settings as part of a substantial meal," he adds.

In Tier 3 indoor entertainment and other hospitality will close except for takeaway, he says.

"These decisions are not easy but they are necessary," he says.

The Health Secretary has begun address the House of Commons on the new tier restrictions. 

He says it's "vital we safeguard the gains we made" in protecting the NHS.

But, he adds, "we must remain vigilant" as he sets out the latest figures.

"As tempted as it may be we can't simply flick a switch and return life back to normal," he says.

Responding to the news that London will enter Tier 2 restrictions Simon Thomas, CEO, Hippodrome Casino said it was "good news" the capital was not entering the toughest tiers. 

But he added it was "frankly ludicrous" that continued restrictions on the hospitality sectors will mean "thousands of businesses closing and tens of thousands out of a job".

"Government thinking on this can now only be considered wreckless and dangerous. Its own figures show London is behaving responsibly and our restaurants, bars and casinos have the lowest transmission rates and the highest level of hygiene and safety measures," he said.

"We’re following the Government’s own rules to the letter and being penalised further. Emperor Boris is fiddling the data while the West End burns. I have never seen the business community so united. We’re all shaking our heads in disbelief."

Manchester, Birmingham, Kent and parts of Essex are all expected to be placed under Tier 3 restrictions, Matt Hancock will announce.

Addressing the Commons, the Health Secretary, is expected to say only three areas of England will be under the lowest Tier 1 measures - Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and Isles of Scilly.

A vast majority of regions are to face the toughest measures with Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Kent and parts of Essex, Yorkshire and the North East, all placed into the highest tier.

London and Liverpool will both be in Tier 2, meaning pubs and bars must close unless operating as restaurants, meaning they must serve substantial meals and may only serve alcohol with such a meal.

A postcode checker on the Government website for people to determine which tier they would be in appeared to crash as shorty after it went live.

It initially showed that Kent would be in the toughest Tier 3, but people checking later were faced with the message: "Sorry, we're experiencing technical difficulties."

When modelling the level of infection among different age groups, the ONS said increases in the positivity rate can only be seen in secondary school-age children (school years 7 to 11).

Rates have decreased in adults aged 35 and over, and appear to be levelling off among young adults (school year 12 to age 24), 25 to 34 year-olds, and children of primary school age and below.

Rates remain highest among secondary school-age children and young adults.

Positivity rates continue to vary "substantially" between different regions of England, the ONS said.

Rates have increased in the East Midlands but are still falling in north-west England.

In the West Midlands, eastern England, London, south-east England and south-west England, rates "now also appear to be decreasing".

The highest rates continue to be in Yorkshire & the Humber (with an estimated 1.9 per cent of people in private households testing positive for Covid-19), north-west England (1.8 per cent) and north-east England (1.7 per cent).

The lowest rates are in eastern England (0.6 per cent) and south-west England (0.7 per cent).

An estimated 633,000 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between November 15 and 21, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This is the equivalent of around 1.16 per cent of the population.

The figures represent a slight decrease from 664,700 people, or 1.22 per cent of the population, who were estimated to have Covid-19 in the period November 8 to 14.

The ONS said in recent weeks the positivity rate for England "has shown signs of levelling".

The figures do not include people staying in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings.

Moscow has extended its coronavirus restrictions until mid-January, including mandatory self-isolation for people over 65 and orders for local companies to get at least 30 percent of their staff to work from home, Nataliya Vasilyeva reports.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a statement on Thursday that it would be “premature and reckless” to lift the current restrictions which should be kept in place until January 15.

He also cited health experts, arguing that there was “no need” to roll out a new lockdown.

The number of daily hospitalisations in Moscow went up by 3 per cent last week compared to the week before, which is much lower to the growth rates seen in October, Mr Sobyanin said, adding that it gives him grounds to believe that “we are seeing a gradual flattening of the rise in new infections.”

“But it is still too early to talk about a decline in infections,” he said. “The health care system is still under great strain.”

Moscow, a city of 12 million, was badly hit by the Covid-19 epidemic in the spring and went through six weeks of a tough lockdown.

But unlike the rest of Russia, Moscow appears to be managing the second wave without having to shut down parts of its economy.

The Russian capital posted 6,075 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, about a quarter of the country’s overall tally.

Moscow’s museums were shut down earlier this month and theatres ordered to sell no more than 25 percent of their seats but shops and the hospitality industry are open albeit with certain restrictions.

The Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, has paid tribute to the people of the city for their co-operation during lockdown.

Merseyside's leaders hope to move to Tier 2 after the national England lockdown ends, in recognition of Liverpool's efforts in tackling the virus. The city was in Tier 3 before the national restrictions were introduced.

"We are waiting to hear about the end of the national lockdown and what it means for Liverpool, but I want to pay tribute first to the people of Liverpool for taking to heart the dangers of #Covid19 and taking action," Mr Anderson tweeted.

"It is only because you took steps to control this virus that our rates have come down so far.

"Liverpool has always been a pioneer in Public Health because we care about each other, and that's why the mass test pilot has been so successful."

Mexico City has warned its intensive care wards are again quickly filling with Covid-19 patients, as Mexico and other parts of Latin America see the beginnings of a second wave of infections, Ben Farmer reports.

Cases are rising again, along with deaths, only weeks after the country appeared to be finally conquering its long summer surge in infections.

Mexico reported 10,335 new Covid-19 cases Wednesday night, bringing the total to 1,070,487, according to data released by the Health Ministry.

Deaths rose 858 to 103,597.

The country has long been criticised for testing too little, and has said it is instead focusing on boosting hospital capacity. But the latest figures show that in the capital, 61 per cent of hospital beds with ventilators are occupied, up from 53 per cent a week earlier.

Cases have also begun to rise again in Brazil, which in the summer was one of the global epicentres of the pandemic.

Millions of people in England await the news of which tier their area will be placed in today by the Health Secretary. Here's a snapshot from around the world showing how other countries continue to tackle the pandemic. 

1. Tier fear: Use our Covid postcode search to find out which tier your area may be placed in 
2. Questions raised: Manufacturing error clouds Oxford's Covid-19 vaccine study results
3. Travel latest: Millions of Britons to learn if they can travel after December 2
4. Immunity: Can you catch Covid-19 twice, and how long do antibodies last?
5. Financial hit: Mitchells & Butlers axes 1,300 jobs as pub closures take their toll

University students feel like they were "essentially sold a lie" about what was going to be safely possible this term during pandemic restrictions, Larissa Kennedy, president of the National Union of Students (NUS), said.

"It just feels like the Government is failing to recognise the levels of student anger and student dissatisfaction with how they've been treated," she told BBC radio 4's Today Programme.

Ms Kennedy said all teaching is online for the vast majority of students, adding that some have about two hours of contact time, which students see as universities "just trying to cover their backs".

Restrictive measures designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Germany will be in place until at least the end of December and possibly longer, Chancellor Angela Merkel told parliament on Thursday.

"Given the high number of infections, we assume that the restrictions which are in place before Christmas will be continue to be valid until the start of January, certainly for most parts of Germany," said Merkel.

"We have to say, unfortunately, that we cannot promise an easing for Christmas and New Year's," she added. 

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said the virus has been brought back under control in the city, adding that it is now ready for Tier 2.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there have been no conversations about what tier the city will be in, but added: "I think the figures and the data justify Liverpool being at least, at least, in Tier 2."

Asked if he would encourage other areas that are put in Tier 3 to put up with the restrictions, Mr Anderson said: "Yes, absolutely, because it's about saving lives.

"There's no question that the action that we've taken in Liverpool has saved lives.

"That's what national government and local government should be about. It's protecting your people and saving lives."

Finland's coronavirus situation has worsened rapidly in recent days, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Thursday.

Finland's 14-day incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants stood at 75.8 on Wednesday, Europe's second lowest level behind Iceland, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control data showed, but the Finnish government warned the number of new cases was rising at a worrying pace.

Rishi Sunak declined to comment on whether taxes would rise next year to pay for the fall out from the coronavirus crisis.

The Chancellor told BBC Breakfast: "It wouldn't be appropriate for chancellors - any chancellor - to speculate about future tax policy because that has real-world implications.

"As you would find from any chancellor, they would talk about fiscal policy at a Budget, and obviously we will have one in the spring - we normally have them in the autumn."

Mr Sunak said the scale of borrowing undertaken this year is "not sustainable" but that "now is not the time to address that".

"But once we get through this and we have more certainty about the economic outlook we will need to look at how we can make sure we have a strong set of public finances."

Read more: Our economic emergency has just begun, Rishi Sunak warns

Simon Emeny, chief executive of pub owner Fuller's, said that like everyone in his industry he awaits the England tier announcements with "some degree of trepidation".

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think the really difficult pill for us to swallow this week is that the extra restrictions that have been placed in Tier 2 will render something like 73 per cent of sites in the industry in Tier 2 unprofitable and they're unlikely to open."

Mr Emeny said it's a "great worry" for the entire sector, and also the Chancellor, as pubs will not be contributing "much-needed tax revenues".

He said the attitude towards the hospitality sector "seems to have completely turned on its head".

"Whilst we can now go to gyms, we can now have our hair cut and go to all shops in all tiers, in pubs they are being singled out for their own unique tier system, which not only is unjustified, but depriving many communities of a vital local amenity over the Christmas break," he said.

People will "see a difference" when England's national lockdown ends next week, Rishi Sunak has said, despite an expectation that most of the country will be under Tier 2.

The Chancellor told Sky News: "Whichever tier you're in I think people will see a tangible change.

"That said, things are obviously not normal and I can't pretend that next week things are going to feel like they were before the spring."

Mr Sunak also confirmed that the Prime Minister Boris Johnson will lead a press conference in Downing Street later today, with the time still to be confirmed. 

Ukraine registered a record 15,331 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, health minister Maksym Stepanov said on Thursday, up from a previous record of 14,580 reported on Nov. 21.

He said the total number of cases had climbed to 677,189, with 11,717 deaths.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 22,268 to 983,588, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed. The reported death toll rose by 389 to 15,160, the tally showed.

And India recorded 44,489 new coronavirus infections, data from the health ministry showed, the 19th straight day that single-day cases have stayed below the 50,000 mark.

India's coronavirus tally now stands at 9.27 million, the second-highest in the world, after the United States.

Check out the map below to track global cases and deaths.

Good morning from Telegraph HQ.

The Health Secretary is to set out which tier each local authority in England will fall under after the end of the national lockdown today.

Matt Hancock will make the announcement in Parliament after the Government set out its Covid-19 "winter plan" earlier this week.

Each area will be placed into one of three tiers when lockdown ends on December 2 - but the system has been toughened from the previous regime, meaning more authorities will move into the higher tiers.

Read more:

• The five key metrics that will determine your area's new Covid lockdown tier
• What England's Covid lockdown rules mean for you - and when they could end

The Nightingale Hospital in Exeter will receive its first coronavirus patients on Thursday, officials have confirmed.

The 116-bed hospital built on the site of a former retail unit will treat people with Covid-19, taking patients transferred from the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust as it is "very busy".

A Nightingale Hospital Exeter spokeswoman said: "The Nightingale Exeter will accept patients tomorrow who will be transferred from the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD&E), which is very busy."We would ask that the public continue to observe the Government's advice on observing the lockdown and social distancing so that we can keep patients safe."

Very good news that the #Exeter #NightingaleHospital is finally opening for patients tomorrow to take pressure of the @RDEhospitals & other local #NHS services to cope with unprecedented #Covid19UK pressures. Something I raised with @MattHancock two weeks’ ago.

— Ben Bradshaw (@BenPBradshaw) November 25, 2020

• Ukraine registered a record 15,331 new cases in the past 24 hours, health minister Maksym Stepanov said on Thursday, up from a previous record of 14,580 reported on Nov. 21.
• In Russia, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Thursday extended a recommended self-isolation period for residents older than 65 and those in risk groups through New Year until Jan. 15.
• The number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 22,268 to 983,588, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed on Thursday. 
• As cases surge again nationwide, the US Supreme Court late on Wednesday temporarily barred New York from enforcing certain attendance limits at houses of worship in areas designated as hard hit by the virus.
• China on Thursday reported nine new cases in the vast Inner Mongolia region, where authorities have closed schools, suspended flights, shuttered public venues and banned banquets and other gatherings.
• India recorded 44,489 new infections, data from the health ministry showed on Thursday, the 19th straight day that single-day cases have stayed below the 50,000 mark.

This time last year, bringing together a big room of people to sing Christmas carols and kiss under the mistletoe seemed like the most natural thing in the world. Now, however, we are looking at a strictly five-day festive ‘season’ where just three households can meet indoors between December 23 and 27. 

In the run up to those dates, almost everything will be different: belting out Good King Wenceslas doesn’t seem like a good idea, those in the top tier might not be able to pick up a turkey, and children are making gift requests to Father Christmas on Zoom. 

The government has also warned that even if we can get together, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we should. 

So how are the experts planning to navigate a pandemic Christmas? 

Read the full story

Read more: Christmas lockdown rules: What festive plans could look like 

Six of Pakistan's squad tested positive for Covid-19, hosts New Zealand Cricket said on Thursday, throwing preparations for their five-match tour into turmoil and causing a scare in a country that has largely eradicated the virus.

The squad's "exemption to train while in managed isolation has been put on hold until investigations have been completed", the governing body said, adding that the six positive players would be moved into strict quarantine.

New Zealand's ministry of health said 53 team members passed a symptom check before leaving Lahore and were tested on arrival in Christchurch on November 24.

Six of those results have come back positive, although two of the six cases are believed to be "historical".

New Zealand Health said the players will now "be tested a minimum of four times while in managed isolation" and the entire squad would be confined to their rooms.

On Dec 2, England will emerge from its month-long lockdown and return to a three-tier system. 

As previously, the country will be divided into tiers of  "medium" (Tier 1), "high" (Tier 2) and "very high" (Tier 3) risk areas. 

The Government will decide which tier each region is placed in after Dec 2 based on "the number of cases" in each area, but particularly the numbers of people aged over 60 testing positive for the virus, according to the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

Details of the preliminary tier allocations are expected on Nov 26. The tiers will be reassessed every fortnight. 

Currently, the tiers are suspended as a national lockdown is in place. Use our postcode search for the latest on infection rates in your area.

Postcode search: Which tier could my area be in? 

Oxford University and AstraZeneca on Wednesday acknowledged a manufacturing error that is raising questions about preliminary results of their experimental Covid-19 vaccine.

A statement describing the error came days after the company and the university described the shots as "highly effective" and made no mention of why some study participants didn't receive as much vaccine in the first of two shots as expected.

In a statement on Wednesday, Oxford University said some of the vials used in the trial didn't have the right concentration of vaccine so some volunteers got a half dose. The university said that it discussed the problem with regulators, and agreed to complete the late stage trial with two groups. The manufacturing problem has been corrected, according to the statement.

Read the full story

The United States on Wednesday registered more than 2,400 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally - the highest daily toll in six months as the Thanksgiving holiday began.

At 8:30pm (0030 GMT Thursday), the country had recorded a total of 262,080 Covid deaths, up by 2,439 in 24 hours. It also registered nearly 200,000 new cases.

South Korea is struggling to contain a third wave of Covid-19 as new infections surged over 500 on Thursday for the first time in eight months.

The country added 583 more cases, 553 of them locally-transmitted infections, raising the total caseload to 32,318, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, reported Yonhap.

The new high has surpassed the second wave peak in August which reached 441, and has been attributed to cluster infections from private gatherings, public facilities, hospitals and the military.

The failure to contain the escalation is worrying for the East Asian nation which has been credited globally for its robust response to the pandemic.

The authorities have stepped up social distancing measures ahead of a make-or-break nationwide college exam next Thursday, which is considered to be so important to students’ futures that planes have been grounded in the past to help them concentrate.

"We are now in a situation where virus outbreaks can happen at any place we live in," Health Minister Park Neunghoo said. "With the third wave of infections bulking up its size and pace, we must strictly follow social distancing rules."

Leading Sudanese politician and former prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi died from a coronavirus infection three weeks after being hospitalised in the United Arab Emirates, according to family sources and a party statement early on Thursday.

Mr Mahdi, 84, was Sudan's last democratically elected prime minister and was overthrown in 1989 in the military coup that bought former president Omar al-Bashir to power.

Mr Mahdi headed the moderate Islamic Umma party and remained an influential figure even after Mr Bashir was toppled in April 2019.

Last month, al-Mahdi's family said he had tested positive for Covid-19, and was transferred to the UAE for treatment a few days later following a brief hospitalisation in Sudan.

Several family members and leading party officials were infected as well.

Colombia's government will extend its health state of emergency by three months, President Ivan Duque said on Wednesday, as he urged people to avoid crowds and keep up safety measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The Andean country has had over 1.27 million confirmed cases nearly 36,000 deaths. Active cases number 57,260.

It held a gradually-loosened national quarantine for five and a half months earlier this year, sending economic growth into negative territory and unemployment soaring.

Most economic activities are now allowed, as are international flights, but face masks are required in public. Concerts and other large events are banned.

"The sanitary emergency will extend until February 28, 2021," Mr Duque said on his nightly television programme. "We will extend this process for 90 days and we're doing it to maintain control (and) detailed monitoring."

• Liverpool is expected to become the first place to escape from the highest of the Government's three coronavirus tiers when Boris Johnson announces the new restrictions on Thursday.
• Britain's economic emergency "has only just begun", Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday as he put the country on notice of tax rises to pay for the £550 billion cost of coronavirus.
• Pupils who have faced significant disruption due to Covid-10 could receive an asterisk on their exam certificate, under plans being considered by the regulator.
• Train firms could ban walk-on tickets to stop overcrowding and aid social distancing during the Christmas getaway, rail sources have said.
• A “four-nations” approach to the relaxation of coronavirus rules at Christmas has fractured within 24 hours after Nicola Sturgeon warned Scots that they will face tighter restrictions than people in England.
• Britain’s second wave of Covid “took the wind out of the recovery” and the pandemic may now leave a permanent scar on the economy and the national finances, the Government’s official forecaster has warned.
• A £4 billion cut to foreign aid spending to help pay for the cost of coronavirus was denounced on Wednesday as "shameful and wrong" by the Archbishop of Canterbury as a minister quit in protest.
• A third wave of Covid-19 next year in the UK should still be expected as the vaccine is unlikely to reach enough people in time to prevent it, a leading scientist has cautioned.