The new mutant strain of Covid is spreading 70% faster than any other form of the virus, Boris Johnson has told the nation.
The prime minister said the strain could increase the UK’s R Rate by 0.4 as he announced brand new ‘tier four’ restrictions for London and the south-east this afternoon.
The festive bubble policy across tiers one, two and three has also been dramatically scaled back, with rules allowing three households to mix now restricted to Christmas Day only.
