Guildford drinkers enjoy their last night in Tier 2

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Drinkers embarked on a less than typical Mad Friday last night, with those under looser lockdown restrictions making the most of their final night of freedom – while the streets were largely deserted in normally bustling Tier 3 cities.     

Health Secretary Matt Hancock plunged numerous counties into the ‘very high alert’ top tier of coronavirus restrictions on Thursday, with 70 per cent of England set to be under the toughest rules from today.

The latest Tier 3 additions include Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Peterborough, the whole of Hertfordshire, Surrey with the exception of Waverley, Hastings and Rother on the Kent border of East Sussex, Portsmouth, Gosport and Havant in Hampshire.  

Under the measures, people are not allowed to meet socially indoors, including in venues such as pubs and restaurants, with anyone outside of their support bubble or from another household. 

Those in Guildford made the most of their final moments in Tier 2 last night, with Britons seen heading to bars and restaurants on the last Friday before Christmas. The town will move from ‘high alert’ to ‘very high alert’ at midnight alongside the majority of Surrey. 

Elsewhere, the streets of London were quieter than expected on what is typically a busy night for Christmas parties, after Tier 3 restrictions which came into force on Wednesday shut down bars and restaurants. 

There were similar scenes in Cardiff, which is under Alert Level 3 of the Welsh four-level system. This means hospitality venues in the city close at 6pm, with nightclubs and theatres shut. 

In Liverpool, revellers queued in the rain to enter clubs last night after it was confirmed on Thursday the city would remain under Tier 2 restrictions for another fortnight. The Liverpool City Region has avoided a surge in coronavirus infections since national lockdown restrictions were eased on December 2.

And in York, which will also remain in Tier 2 ahead of another review of restrictions on December 30, partygoers donned festive attire as they dressed up for a night out on the last Friday before Christmas. 

It comes as the Department of Health recorded 28,507 new cases of the virus in the last 24 hours, up a third from the 21,672 last Friday, and 489 deaths, a rise of 14 per cent from a week ago.

Meanwhile, SAGE now estimates the Covid R rate – the average number of others infected by each person with the disease – is between 1.1 and 1.2 in the UK. It is the first time the reproductive number has definitely been above the crucial mark since the first week of the national lockdown last month.

In England, the rate stands even higher at between 1.1 and 1.3, while experts warned it might be as high as 1.4 in the East, and 1.3 in both London and the South East. Last week, Britain’s R number – which doesn’t represent Friday’s outbreak – was between 0.9 and 1.  

London was plunged under Tier 3 rules on Wednesday, after Health Secretary Matt Hancock told a Downing Street briefing that action had to be taken to slow ‘sharp, exponential rises’ in infection rates. 

The streets of the capital were largely abandoned on Friday night, with ‘sorry we’re closed’ signs adorning the doors of typically bustling venues in Soho.

Reports last night suggested London and the South East could be ‘cut off’ from the rest of the UK with potential travel bans announced as soon as today – as a new ‘highly contagious’ coronavirus variant rips through the region. 

Boris Johnson could announce a strengthening of Covid-19 advice after holding a meeting in which ministers are understood to have discussed how to contain the mutant strain, it was said.

This has so-far been confined to London and the South East, with scientists warning the new variant is 50 per cent more contagious than any strain detected before.

One source told the Daily Telegraph that Downing Street could restrict travel to and from the South East, with other proposed measures banning commuters from travelling into London. 

It is understood the Prime Minister was last night provided with new evidence on the harmfulness of the mutant strain. 

It comes as the Met Police vowed to crack down on anti-lockdown protests in London over the last weekend before Christmas, as organisers claim ‘many thousands’ will demonstrate in Parliament Square tomorrow. 

The force said extra officers will be on the capital city’s streets to encourage compliance with strict Tier 3 Covid-19 regulations and to ‘swiftly clamp down on those wilfully and dangerously ignoring them’. 

Scotland Yard issued an open letter published on the Met Police’s website ahead of the demonstration expected tomorrow, with others also planned around England.

The force asked people not to attend any large gathering and warned they may be at risk of committing a criminal offence if they do.

Gatherings of more than six outdoors are illegal under coronavirus rules, although there is a list of exemptions which includes protests where all relevant safety precautions are in place.

The Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers in England and Wales, earlier this week wrote to Home Secretary Priti Patel highlighting the health risks to those policing protests.

National chairman John Apter and Met Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh described the Christmas footfall coupled with a mass demonstration as a potentially ‘deadly and unmanageable mix’.

The Met said the force will focus on disrupting large gatherings adding that protest organisers must stick to Government regulations as well as their submitted risk assessment.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: ‘Where we become aware of planned events that will breach regulations, we will try to engage with organisers or venues to make them fully aware of the restrictions that are in place to keep people safe.

‘However, if people do not listen to our advice and fail to comply with the rules, we will be forced to take enforcement action.

‘With infection rates rising rapidly across the capital, we all need to play our part in preventing the spread of the virus.

‘This is the final weekend before Christmas, so now is not the time for complacency. 

‘I know Londoners know what they should and should not be doing and I would urge everyone to act sensibly and do their part to keep our city safe.

‘Sticking to the guidelines put in place to keep us all safe and well is now more important than ever. 

‘This weekend we will ensure we deal with the activity of a few so as not to expose our communities at even greater risk during this pandemic.’

Some 11 people were arrested after a demonstration by about 200 protesters in London’s Parliament Square on Monday for alleged offences including breach of Covid-19 regulations, Public Order Act offences and assaulting an emergency worker.

During the second national lockdown at the end of November more than 150 people were arrested as activists marched from Hyde Park to Oxford Circus and Regent Street, clashing with police.