Tier 4 rules and restrictions explained

This weekend, London and other areas of the southeast of England entered the newly created tier 4 restrictions.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, the prime minister said that the restrictions for tier 4 will be “broadly equivalent to the national restrictions that were imposed in November”.

Residents in tier 4 areas will be told to stay at home and non-essential retail will be forced to close.

The latest restrictions come after a new variant of Covid-19 was discovered, which Mr Johnson said can be “passed on significantly more easily” and could increase the R number by 0.4 or more.

The prime minister added that the new variant may be up to 70 per cent more transmissible than the previous one.

The tier allocations will continue to be regularly reviewed, with the next review due to take place on 30 December.

Here’s everything you need to know about what you can and cannot do in tier 4.

The prime minister has said that some areas in England that are currently in tier 3 will be moved into a new tier 4 from Sunday.

This includes Greater London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Hastings, Kent, and Portsmouth.

You can see the full list on the government website here.

Just like in lockdown, non-essential retail will be forced to close in tier 4 areas. This includes nail bars, beauty salons, and other spa services.

People in tier 4 will not be able to mix with other households indoors. They can, however, meet with one person from another household outside.

Overnight stays are also not permitted, except for those within support bubbles.

Visits to relatives in care homes will also be permitted as long as protective arrangements are in place. These may include substantial screens, visiting pods or visiting from behind windows.

In tier 4, people cannot go abroad unless it is for work reasons.

People will be told to stay at home and refrain from travelling outside of a region that has been placed in tier 4.

Like in the two nationwide lockdowns, indoor gyms will be forced to close in tier 4.

However, communal worship can continue to take place.

While indoor gyms and sports facilities must close under the new restrictions, outdoor exercise facilities such as golf courses, outdoor gyms, riding centres, playgrounds and outdoor swimming pools may remain open.

These facilities can be used with individually, with others within your household or support bubble, or with one person from another household.

According to the government, funerals can take place as long as they are in a Covid-secure venue or in a public outdoor space.

Funerals can be attended by a maximum of 30 people, with social distancing encouraged between people who do not live together or share a support bubble.

Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies should not take place during the restrictions, according to the government, except in exceptional circumstances.

The government describes exceptional circumstances for a wedding to take place as one person is ill and will not recover, or “due to undergo debilitating treatment or life-changing surgery”.

In these instances, the ceremony can only be attended by six people.

Under the tier 4 restrictions, those who live in a tier 4 area can only go to a funeral or wedding outside of the tier 4 area if the event follows the tier 4 gathering limits on events.

Mr Johnson has said that Christmas “cannot continue as planned”.

While the prime minister had originally said that people in England would be able to form Christmas bubbles with two other households from 23 until 27 December, they may now only do so on Christmas Day itself.

This is the case for people across tiers 1, 2 and 3. Those in tier 4 cannot form Christmas bubbles.