Almost 99% of England’s population will go into tougher Covid tiers next week

Fewer than 750,000 people in Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and Scilly Isles placed in ‘medium level’ tier 1

Almost 99 per cent of England’s population will go into the tougher levels of coronvirus restrictions next week, according to official figures. 

Just 713,573 people - 1.27 per cent of England’s total population - living in the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have been placed under the least stringent tier 1 “medium” restrictions.

More than half of the population - 32,226,170 people, or 57.25 per cent of the total - will enter tier 2 on 2 December, said 10 Downing Street.

And around four in 10 English residents - 41.48 per cent, totalling 23,347,218 people - will be under the toughest tier 3 controls.

The allocations mean that only a tiny fraction of England’s population living in tier 1 can mingle freely indoors or outdoors under the “rule of six” rule and enjoy drinks in a pub without also ordering a meal.

Almost six-tenths, living in tier 2, can have a drink in a hospitality venue only if it comes as part of a substantial meal, and can meet people from outside their household or support bubble only outside, in groups of six or fewer.

And more than 20m people in tier 3 - including the residents of cities like Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham and Leicester - face a total ban on pub and restaurant visits, no spectator sports and social mixing limited to outdoor public spaces like parks.