Boris Johnson's Tier System: Liverpool Merseyside Put On Very High Alert Level

"Very high risk" areas, including Liverpool city and the wider Merseyside region will see pubs, gyms, bars, hairdressers, leisure centres, betting shops and casinos shut from Wednesday.

All but essential travel will banned in another blow for the aviation industry, which only reopened three months ago after the first round of closures.

Key factors taken into account include the number of cases per 100,000 people in the last week, the hospitalisation rate, the growth rate of the virus, and whether the figures are skewed by one specific outbreak like a factory or university.

Locals can leave their homes for school, work, food shopping or health reasons only.

The announcement came after the PM and his aides spent the weekend locked in talks with local leaders, with some key decisions thrashed out this morning before his afternoon address to the House of Commons.

Those in the high risk areas, including Nottinghamshire and East and West Cheshire, will be unable to mix with other households indoors, however two households may meet in a private garden as long as the rule of six and social distancing are followed.

While Boris hasn't yet said which areas will be classed as medium risk, he mentioned that for most areas in the UK, restrictions will mirror those already in place, including the rule of six, a 10pm curfew, working from home where possible, group sport to be played outdoors only and a maximum of 15 guests at wedding ceremonies.

While it's not yet clear how long these measurements will stay in place, however Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has suggested that they are likely to stay in place until Christmas.

Hospitalisations across the UK continue to rise, while one minister has said the virus is "getting out of control" in the North. There are now more patients in hospital than there were just before lockdown kicked in.

The announcement comes as a new poll revealed the majority of Brits support further lockdown measures to contain Covid-19. The survey of 2,000 UK adults, by OnePoll, revealed 60 per cent back the government to act where infections are spiralling.

But there are fears vulnerable Britons may have to shield indoors for months under Prime Minister Boris Johnson's 'three-tier' lockdown system.

Tory ministers have been in a stand-off with local leaders who said there must be more wage support before pubs are shut down. In response, Rishi Sunak has announced that if a business is closed due to third tier restrictions, the government will pay two thirds of each employee's salary, up to a maximum of £2,100 per month.

England follows on from Scotland, whose First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced last week a new ban on bars, pubs and restaurants serving alcohol indoors after 6pm, with some regions seeing their hospitality industry effectively shut down for two weeks starting this weekend.