COVID-19: Mayor Sadiq Khan warns London could move to Tier 3 if rules are not followed

Londoners have again been warned they may soon face tougher restrictions if they do not follow the current coronavirus rules, amid a surge of cases.

A spokesman for the city's mayor, Sadiq Khan, said winter could see a "devastating" rise in COVID-19 infections if people do not obey the current Tier 2 rules, with new data showing cases climbed in 75% of the capital's boroughs.

"The number-one way to look out for our loved ones and support local businesses in this festive season is to follow the rules, and do all we can to avoid going back into tougher restrictions later this month or any time in the future," the spokesman said.

"If we begin to act like this virus has gone away, we could see a devastating further surge in cases at a time of year when our NHS is already under enough pressure."

On Twitter, Mr Khan warned: "This is important. We still have a long winter ahead. None of us want London to move into Tier 3.

"Please continue to follow the rules - lives and livelihoods truly are dependent on it."

The tier system is due to be reviewed on 16 December.

Public Health England figures showed new cases of COVID-19 increased in 24 of London's 32 boroughs in the week ending 3 December.

East London's Havering had the highest rate, with 898 new cases - equal to 346 per 100,000 people.

That's up from 268.5 per 100,000 people in the week to 26 November.

Richmond in the southwest had the lowest rate, dropping from 86.9 cases per 100,000 people to 80.3.

The growing rate in London is in contrast to a fall in cases in 188 of England's 315 local areas over the same period.

Speaking in the Commons, the UK's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said "the biggest risk we face now is that people think it's all over".

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He said: "We have a very important light at the end of the tunnel, but we're a long way off. It's not the time to relax things. If that happens we will have a big surge."

However, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove told Sky News London's boroughs could possibly stay in their current tiers or even move down one by Christmas, but only if people stay vigilant.

"There are variations across London borough by borough," he said.

"But we get advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and from those who are monitoring not just the incidence of the virus, but also the pressure on the NHS, and we do keep these things under review."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said tiering decisions are based on many factors, including how quickly case rates change, the number of infections in the over-60s, pressure on the NHS and "local circumstances".

"The government will review the tiering allocations every 14 days and areas will move up or down the tiers based on these indicators from local areas," they said.