UK coronavirus: Chris Whitty warns tier 3 measures alone ‘not enough to get on top’ of spread — as it happened

3.41pm EDT 15:41

Boris Johnson warned northern leaders that a failure to agree tougher coronavirus restrictions within days would be “unforgivable” as he faced doubt and frustration over a new system designed to prevent the “inexorable” spread of Covid-19.

But Prof Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, warned that even the toughest curbs would probably not contain the spread of the virus in the worst-hit areas and said local authorities would need to add extra restrictions. “The base will not be sufficient. I think that’s very clearly the professional view,” he said.

The full story is here.

3.39pm EDT 15:39

Evening summary

Here at the key points from the press conference on the new three-tier Covid alert system for England.

Here is the Guardian’s science editor Ian Sample on why the new rules may not be enough.

3.04pm EDT 15:04

Q. Are people in Liverpool city region – many of whom earn less than the minimum wage and will be unable to pay their bills – valued less now, than when 80% of wages were being paid?

Sunak says those affected in the way described can benefit from Universal Credit.

Q. Leaders here first heard of your plans for the region in the papers and today Matt Hancock gave them less than ten minutes warning of the briefing. Is there a lack of respect or is it just the chaos of trying to organise lockdown?

Johnson says he spoke to Steve Rotheram yesterday and he was at the Cobra meeting today.

Driving the R down will take local and national government working together, he says.

And that’s the end of the press conference.

Updated at 3.12pm EDT

2.58pm EDT 14:58

Q. Do you accept that the lockdown was too early for the north and was taken to suit the south?

Johnson says this bout of the pandemic is more localised and the decision to have the first lockdown was based on the scientific evidence.

Q. What evidence is there that hospitality is the key setting for infections?

Whitty says a group of things all contribute to people mixing and are the most likely to contribute to infections – they are indoors, with people who are not from your household in relatively crowded environments without masks.

Hospitality is one of these contributors, not the only one, he says.

Collectively, the restrictions can pull the numbers down, he says.

2.53pm EDT 14:53

Q. Do you acknowledge there are huge inconsistencies over which areas are in which tiers?

Johnson says this will inevitably happen in a complex pandemic.

He says he has high hopes for getting further on mass testing, but for now these restrictions are the best way forward.

Whitty says the UK has been one of the leaders in the science and nobody can predict what treatments will be available to us.

Updated at 2.54pm EDT

2.49pm EDT 14:49

Q. Why is the only part of the country put under stricter rules the Liverpool city region?

Johnson says local knowledge can be valuable in enforcement and test and trace, and they want to take local leaders with them.

If we can’t reach agreement, it’s the duty of national government to take the necessary action to protect public health, he says.

Q. Why have areas that have been living with restrictions throughout the summer and into autumn not been brought out of them?

Whitty says rates have to be kept down without doing harm to the economy.

He has seen no evidence that people in Bradford have been flouting the rules, he says.

The great majority of people are and have been following the rules, he says.

2.45pm EDT 14:45

Here is Whitty’s full answer on why he doesn’t think tier 3 measures alone will be enough in the worst-affected areas.

From the FT’s Jim Pickard

2.44pm EDT 14:44

‘We should not have any illusions that we can push R below 1 without causing harm’, Whitty says

Q. Were it not for some mayor and local leaders, other areas especially in the north would already be in the very high category?

Johnson says he’s working with local authorities, particularly with the badly affected regions, to support local test and trace and local enforcement.

The primary duty is to save lives and protect the NHS, he adds.

Whitty says people want straight news – to know the worst and know how to avoid it.

The balancing act is doing things which pull down the R below 1 but with minimal impact on the economy, he says. We should not have any illusions that we can do this without causing harm.

Updated at 2.51pm EDT

2.40pm EDT 14:40

Second national lockdown would do a lot of immediate harm, Johnson says

Q. Are you delaying the inevitable by not introducing a second national lockdown?

Johnson says he hopes there won’t be anything like a second national lockdown and if these new measures are properly implemented they can get the R down.

There’s a need for balance as a second national lockdown would do a lot of immediate harm right now, he adds.

Q. How do you expect pubs, bars and restaurants forced to close to live off two-thirds of their wages when they can’t pay two-thirds of their bills?

Sunak says at two-thirds this offer is broadly in line with support provided in other European countries.

The generosity of the welfare system has been increased, he says.

Q. Are you confident these measures are enough to slow the spread of the disease?

Whitty says he’s confident these measures will help to slow the spread of the virus further.

He says he’s not confident that tier 3 at the base case would be enough alone, which is why local authorities will have the flexibility to bring in additional things within that.

These measures only work if everybody buys into them and does their bit, Whitty says.

Q. What should vulnerable people who have been shielding do now?

Whitty says people who were previously shielding are at greater risk and they are advised to take greater precautions.

They are trying to approach this is in a different way due to mental distress, he says.

Updated at 2.42pm EDT

2.31pm EDT 14:31

Charlotte from Chesterfield asks what restrictions can be expected over the festive period.

Johnson says they will do their best to get life back to as close to normal as possible for Christmas, but it will depend on people following the measures.

2.29pm EDT 14:29

Helen from Derby asks about support for industries like the events sector who have been shut down since March due to government restrictions.

Sunak says there is the job support scheme to allow companies who are open but not trading to bring employees back in a scaled back way.

2.27pm EDT 14:27

We need to go further on the rates will continue inexorably to rise, Whitty says.

2.26pm EDT 14:26

When you see a rise in people over 60 going into hospital, it’s mirrored by a rise in hospital admissions, he says.

North West: Covid-19 hospital admissions (all ages) and weekly case rate in those 60 years and over Photograph: No 10

2.26pm EDT 14:26

This translates into an increase in hospitalisation, particularly in areas where there is a high transmission, he says.

Patients in hospital with Covid-19 in England by NHS region Photograph: No 10