ENGLAND’S lockdown should end as planned on December 2 – and Tier 3 restrictions did work, Government scientists said today.
Brits were sent into lockdown last week in a desperate attempt to slow the spread of the deadly bug.
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A woman is given a coronavirus testCredit: PA:Press Association
And there are hopes that the strict restrictions have been working, with the R rate – which measures the average number of people a person with coronavirus infects – falling back below 1.
The crucial value is now estimated to be 0.9 across the country according to the Covid Symptom Study app while Sage’s most recent estimate, published on Friday, is that the R rate is somewhere between 1.1 and 1.3.
And the Times today reported that the Tier 3 regional restrictions worked, cutting daily contact by a third.
John Edmunds, who led the study and works with the the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “The tier system did have some impact in reducing contact and especially Tier 3 had a very significant impact.
“Tier 3 restrictions reduced that by 1.5 contacts a day, which in the context of five daily contacts is a big change.”
Sage members now hope the cases will start falling in the next week after 27,301 new infections were recorded yesterday.
This would then pave the way for the national lockdown to be lifted on December 2 as planned, with regions then going into Tiers according to their infection levels.
And while some areas may need to remain in the highest tier, others will be able to go back to Tier 2 restrictions, meaning that pubs, restaurants and gyms will be able to reopen.
Professor Tim Spector shared the latest data from the Covid Symptom Study app today which suggests a fall in new infections
The latest report from Imperial College London suggests the R rate was 1.2 before a national lockdown was put in place
Government scientists have previously warned that the UK has “little to no scope” of relaxing social distancing rules for Christmas.
Their gloomy forecast, dated November 4, warns: “If England returns to the same application of the tiering system in place before November 5, then transmission will return to the same rate of increase as today.”
It comes after documents released last week suggested that Brits can celebrate Christmas… next summer.
The scientists said “planning a summer family get together could replace meeting at Christmas”.
They say Brits could also opt to “self quarantine” over New Year if they want to spend the festive season with family.
And they recommended giving youngsters free Netflix subscriptions or mobile phone data to encourage them to comply.
The bug could also mean Christmas is cancelled across Europe this year.
Asked at a press conference on Thursday whether people could begin buying train tickets to travel home at Christmas, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said it was “a bit too early to say.
The pressure on our hospitals has intensified enormously,” he said.
It would be irresponsible to soften the lockdown now. The gains are fragile, Castex said.
He said that one person was being hospitalised with the virus somewhere in France every 30 seconds.
In Germany, health minister Jens Spahn said it was “too early to tell” whether measures introduced at the start of this month would be enough to prevent a further spike in cases.
Domonic Raab vows that the Second UK lockdown will end on December 2
- England’s lockdown should end on December 2 and Tier 3 restrictions did work, SAGE advisers say  The Sun
- Scientists warn of Christmas Covid surge if tier system returns  The Guardian
- Coronavirus: SAGE warns England’s three-tier sys…
