London's level moves to 'high' tier in COVID-19 alert system

London moves into the second tier of the government's new COVID-19 restrictions from Saturday.

This means that from the start of the weekend, households in the capital cannot mix indoors. Different households will also be banned from mixing in restaurants and pubs, but the rule of six and the closure of pubs at 10 pm will remain in place as they did in Tier 1.

Local ministers are being informed this morning of the new measures by Health and Social Care Minister, Helen Whately.

Further details of the restrictions in not only London but also areas of the UK that have had growing cases such as Greater Manchester and Lancashire, will be revealed later by Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary.

The Mayor, Sadiq Khan, said: "Nobody wants to see more restrictions but this is deemed to be necessary in order to protect Londoners."