London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 08, 2025

London 'to be put into Tier 3 lockdown just days before Christmas'

London 'to be put into Tier 3 lockdown just days before Christmas'

The news comes as the Covid infection rate in London continues to accelerate

London is set to be put into Tier 3 lockdown just days before Christmas, according to reports.

Multiple reports on Thursday afternoon (December 10) reported that MPs had been briefed in a meeting with Health minister Helen Whateley.

One told Pippa Crerar, Political Editor of The Mirror : “It feels like they’re preparing us for Tier 3 decision. Decision taken on 16th, published on 17th & implemented on 19th. Data pointing that way..”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock was asked during a Downing Street press conference when a decision might be published on London going into Tier 3, and he said the current Tiers would be reviewed on December 16.

But the reports from various political correspondents suggest that a decision on London's fate has essentially already been made.

It comes as the infection rate in the capital continues to accelerate - in contrast to many other regions in England.

The latest data published on Thursday showed there were 191.2 cases per 100,000 residents over the 7 days to December 5 - higher than some Tier 3 areas.

There were also 4,144 new infections announced in the capital and 210 more Londoners admitted to hospital, out of 1,582 being treated in total.

Above the current Tier 2 rules, Tier 3 would mean;

* All hospitality venues would have to close - except for delivery and takeaway. Hotels and other accommodation venues would have to shut, except for specific work purposes.

* Indoor entertainment venues would have to shut and people would be advised to avoid travelling out of London, other than "where necessary for work, education, youth services, medical attention, or caring responsibilities".

* No overnight stays would be allowed outside of London, except when necessary for work or education.

* Wedding receptions, currently limited to 15 guests in Tier 2, would also be banned in Tier 3.

* No fans would be allowed into football matches in London - in Tier 2, a maximum capacity of 2,000 or 50 per cent of the stadium capacity - whichever is smaller - has been permitted.

The news is not expected to affect the relaxation of lockdown rules from December 23 where people will be allowed to form Christmas bubbles.

But the fact that London looks all but certain to be put in Tier 3 lockdown right before Christmas has been met with dismay by business representatives in the capital.

Michael Lassman, London chair of the Federation of Small Businesses said he was “extremely disappointed” that London looks likely to get tougher restrictions:

“Many pubs, hotels, restaurants and other related industries will be hard hit by these measures if it happens and will struggle to make it through to the New Year; these firms in particular will need targeted support that is proportionate to the costs facing these businesses.

“We urge consumers to continue to shop where possible with small firms, online and in person, and find supportive ways to help these businesses get through these extremely challenging times.”

The news comes as Mr Hancock announced that mass testing would be carried out on secondary school pupils in London in the coming days.

He told a national briefing that mobile testing units were “ready to roll” into London, with focus initially in the areas of high infection rates, particularly in North East London.

Data showed, said Mr Hancock, the infection was spreading quickly among young adults and teenagers.

Havering has the capital’s highest infection rate, with a total of 379.5 cases per 100,000 residents over the past 7 days, enough to put it in the 10 worst-hit local authority areas in the country.

Hancock also said the mobile testing units in London would be using the PCR tests, which must be sent away to a lab for results, but tend to have fewer false negatives than the lateral flow ‘blow tests’ which were used for mass testing in Liverpool.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
×