UK coronavirus LIVE: London to enter Tier 2 lockdown after midnight on Friday as half of England's population face new Covid restrictions

Londoners are to see tough new coronavirus measures imposed from one minute past midnight on Saturday as the city enters Tier 2 of the Government's Covid alert system.

The move means that the city's nine million residents will be banned from mixing with other households indoors, including in pubs and restaurants.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the new measures to MPs in the House of Commons this morning, as he warned that Covid-19 "is now spreading exponentially in the UK".

Essex, Elmbridge, Barrow in Furness, York, North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield and Erewash will join the capital in being placed under "high risk" alert, while a decision has yet to be made on swathes of the north of England, Yorkshire and the Midlands which were set to be placed in the "very high risk" Tier 3.

Half the population of England will now be in either Tier 2 or 3 of the alert system, following the announcement. Liverpool City Region, comprising 1.6 million people, remains the only area currently classed in the top category. A further 26.7 million people will now be covered by Tier 2 restrictions.

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