Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has announced that millions more people in England will be placed under the strictest level of Covid-19 restrictions from midnight.
The Midlands, parts of the North East and North West and parts of the South West are among those areas escalated.
An additional 20 million people will moved to the highest tier. This means a total of 44 million people will now be in Tier 4, or 78 per cent of the population of England.
The number of lab-confirmed cases recorded in a single day in the UK hit a new record on Tuesday, rising above 50,000 for the first time, to 53,135.
It comes as hospitals in England struggle under the strain of dealing with a higher number of Covid-19 patients than ever during the pandemic, surpassing the first wave peak that was seen in April.
The following areas are moving into Tier 4.
These areas will be moved into Tier 3.
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