Will West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire go into Tier 4 and will North Yorkshire move into Tier 3? What we know so far

More areas in England will be placed under the country’s toughest coronavirus restrictions, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons.

Pressure mounted on the Government to act as hospitals across England warned of increasing strains on services due to Covid-19 patient numbers, which have reached their highest levels during the pandemic, while 51,135 further cases and 414 deaths were reported on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired a meeting of the Government’s Covid-19 Operations committee on Tuesday evening, when changes to the tier system were discussed.

But what will the announcement mean for Yorkshire? Here's what we know so far:

Will West Yorkshire go into Tier 4?

West Yorkshire is currently in Tier 3, the 'very high' coronavirus alert which prevents households from mixing indoors - and it is staying in Tier 3.

Bars and restaurants remain closed, but unlike in Tier 4 non-essential retail and personal care services are permitted to open.

With case rates rising in all regions of England, as well as the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals, any review is likely to involve areas moving up a tier rather than down.

The infection rate in West Yorkshire is far lower than in most Tier 4 areas in London and the South East, but it is rising across all five local authority areas.

These are the current infection rates:

Leeds - 189.8 new cases per 100,000 people, up 33.1% from last week

Bradford - 185.1, up 13%

Wakefield - 184.6, up 26.8%

Kirklees - 176.7, up 13.9%

Calderdale - 175.0, up 17.8%

Comparatively, Brentwood has the highest rate in England with 1,258.1 new cases per 100,000 people.

Meanwhile Mid Suffolk, which is also in Tier 4, has a lower rate than in West Yorkshire at 174.2.

As well as infection rates, the Government takes other factors such as hospital admissions into consideration when reviewing tiers. Hospital admissions remain lower in West Yorkshire than in London and the South East.

The current infection rate and the number of coronavirus hospital patients suggests that West Yorkshire is likely to remain in Tier 3 for now.

However, with the new super spreading variant of coronavirus arriving in Yorkshire, the Government could decide to move more areas into Tier 4 to prevent case numbers rising further in the future during the next lockdown review. As it stands, Leeds and West Yorkshire stay in Tier 3.

Will York and North Yorkshire go into Tier 3?

Yes.

North Yorkshire and York are currently in Tier 2, the 'high' coronavirus alert - but today the government announced that they will move into Tier 3.

People can no longer visit pubs and restaurants with their household, enjoying alcohol with a substantial meal.

Infection rates are rising quickly across North Yorkshire, which no doubt prompted the decision.

Hambleton, York and Ryedale have seen the infection rate double in the last seven days.

The infection rate in Scarborough, Hambleton and York is now higher than in West Yorkshire - which is in Tier 3.

Here are the current rates for York and North Yorkshire:

York - 240.2 new cases per 100,000 people, up 131.1% from last week

Scarborough - 238.1, down 8.5%

Hambleton - 247.8, up 183.8%

Richmondshire - 184.3, up 39.4%

Ryedale - 166.1, up 114%

Craven - 136.5, up 2.6%

Harrogate - 118.1, up 33.8%

Will South Yorkshire go into Tier 4?

South Yorkshire is currently in Tier 3, the 'very high' coronavirus alert which prevents households from mixing indoors - and it remains in Tier 3.

Bars and restaurants remain closed, but unlike in Tier 4 non-essential retail and personal care services are permitted to open.

The infection rate in Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley is higher than across West Yorkshire, but it is not rising as quickly.

The rate has fallen in Doncaster in the last week.

Here are the current rates for South Yorkshire.

Doncaster - 221.9 new cases per 100,000 people, up 6.8% from last week

Rotherham - 218.2, down 8.1%

Barnsley - 202.9, up 11.8%

Sheffield - 175.6, up 12%

As in West Yorkshire, the current infection rate suggests that South Yorkshire is likely to remain in Tier 3 for now.

However, with the new super spreading variant of coronavirus arriving in Yorkshire, the Government could decide to move more areas into Tier 4 in the future to prevent case numbers rising further, but that would be in two weeks' time at the next lockdown review.

Will Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire go into Tier 4?

Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire are currently in Tier 3 and will remain in Tier 3.

However, Hull has the highest infection rate of any Yorkshire area - and the rate is rising.

Here are the current infection rates:

Hull - 261 new cases per 100,000 people, up 17.9%

East Riding of Yorkshire - 178.5, up 15.6%

Hull is most at risk of being placed in Tier 4 when Matt Hancock makes the next Tier announcement review in two weeks' time.

The East Riding of Yorkshire is to stay in Tier 3 for now. But as across Yorkshire, the Government could decide to move more areas into Tier 4 to prevent case numbers rising further.