No change to Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions across Yorkshire as Health Secretary Matt Hancock updates country

In an address to the House of Commons, he reported that only Bristol and North Somerset would be moving out of Tier 3 to Tier 2.

The East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire remain under the strictest rules in England.

North Yorkshire, including York, remains under Tier 2 restrictions.

Mr Hancock said: "I know that other areas are so eager to move down tiers and the best thing we can do is act with responsibility to get the virus under control."

He said that 200 vaccination sites are now open across the country.

A total of 109,167 people tested positive for Covid-19 in England at least once in the week to December 9, according to the latest Test and Trace figures.

This is up 12 per cent on the previous week but is still below the peak weekly total of 168,535 recorded in the seven days to November 11.

The tiers decided today will remain in place until December 23, when there will then be a five day long Christmas break in restrictions. This will end on December 27.

This temporary break in restrictions has recently sparked debate between scientists and government officials, with differing advice on the best course of action to take over the Christmas period.

In a joint editorial from the British Medical Journal and Health Service Journal, the two medical journals said that the government could no longer claim to be protecting the NHS if it went ahead with its plans to allow up to three households to mix indoors over the Christmas period.

The leading journals said, “We believe the government is about to blunder into another major error that will cost many lives.”

However, after a discussion between the four devolved administrations, Boris Johnson announced on Wednesday that Christmas plans could still go ahead, but that celebrations should be kept both "short" and "small" in order to reduce the risk of spreading Covid.

In Wales, a new law change will mean that only two households will be able to meet over the five day period, and people in Scotland have been asked to meet on only one of the five days.