London will move into England’s highest tier of Covid restrictions from midnight on Wednesday morning, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.
Parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will also enter tier three at the same time.
A new variant of coronavirus has been identified "which may be associated with the faster spread in the south of England", Mr Hancock told the Commons.
He said action had to be taken immediately to slow surging rates of infection.
Tier three restrictions mean that pubs and restaurants must close except for takeaway and delivery services.
MPs, reported to have been briefed on the plans by Mr Hancock, said a sharp rise in cases meant the health secretary was unable to wait until the next scheduled review of England's three-tier system on Wednesday.
One MP said they were told that cases are doubling every seven days in the capital.
They added that the next review of the tier system would be on 23 December.
Mr Hancock will lead a Downing Street news conference later.
It follows warnings from London Mayor Sadiq Khan that tier three restrictions could have a "catastrophic consequence" for hospitality, culture and some retail.
What are tier three (very high) rules?
- You cannot mix indoors, in private gardens or in most outdoor venues, except with your household or bubble
- You can meet in a group of up to six in other outdoor spaces, such as parks, beaches or countryside
- Shops, gyms and personal care services (such as hairdressing) can stay open
- Bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants must stay closed, except for delivery and takeaway
- Sports fans cannot attend events in stadiums
- Indoor entertainment venues - such as bowling alleys and cinemas - must stay closed
- People are advised not to travel to and from tier three areas
Conservative MP Stephen Hammond, one of the London MPs who spoke with Mr Hancock earlier, said some of the figures they had been shown today "justified" the decision to move London into the most severe tier.
He said that "no-one wanted this to happen" but it was a reflection of the advice the government had received.
Asked about the mood of the phone call, Mr Hammond said the health secretary was "sombre" and was asking people to recognise the importance of the public health message.
He said Mr Hancock was asked by MPs about more community testing for the region, whether the vaccine programme could be rolled out more quickly and about more support for businesses.
Mr Hammond also denied that London had been treated as a special case by not being put in tier three earlier - saying last time around only small areas of London had seen big rises in cases.
Some areas in and around London have recorded large increases in confirmed coronavirus cases over the past week.
In the week to 12 November, Havering was the only area of London in the top 100 places in England with the highest infection rates, at 85th.
It now has the fifth highest rate, at 506 cases per 100,000, BBC England data unit's Rob England said.
Back in November, London had the third lowest regional rate of about 187 cases per 100,000, while Yorkshire and the Humber recorded the highest at 443 per 100,000.
Now the two regions seem to have swapped places, with Yorkshire enjoying the third lowest rate of about 170 per 100,000.
BBC health editor Hugh Pym described the situation as "fast-moving" and that he understood health officials presented data showing a sharp rise in virus cases - risking further rapid increases in the coming days.
Despite coronavirus cases continuing to rise, No 10 said the government "has no plans to review the Christmas guidelines" which effectively suspend the tier system of restrictions and allow more households to mix.
It came as people in Scotland were told to "cut down" the number of contacts in the week before Christmas if they plan to meet up with relatives.
In Wales, a second health board has suspended non-urgent care amid a continued rise in cases. And a leading doctor in Northern Ireland said its health service is facing a "nightmare" scenario in January.
Elsewhere, Covid vaccinations have started being given to patients at GP surgeries in England as part of the next stage of the rollout of the vaccine programme.
Overall on Sunday, confirmed cases rose by 19% across the UK compared with the previous seven days, with 18,447 reported. A further 144 deaths were also recorded.
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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiJmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLTU1MzA2OTI40gEqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvYW1wL3VrLTU1MzA2OTI4?oc=5
2020-12-14 15:34:00Z
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