Following the announcement by Health Secretary Matt Hancock today (December 30) Atherstone and the rest of Warwickshire are to be escalated to Tier Four of the four-tiered restrictions for dealing with Covid-19.

New rules will come into affect tomorrow, Thursday December 31.

Before today's announcement almost 40% of the nation's population had been placed in Tier Four 'Stay at Home,' the toughest level of local restrictions.

Now Warwickshire, much of the North East and some of the North West find themselves under the same restrictions.

Warwickshire has been aligned with Solihull and Coventry for the latest regional reviews, both of which were in local lockdowns before the November lockdown.

Now, all three regions find themselves in the toughest level of restrictions.

Speaking in the commons this afternoon Mr Hancock said "we must act now.

"Whilst we have the good news today we also have to take some difficult decisions."

What are the rules in Tier Four?

Tier Four 'Stay at Home' was introduced by the UK Government in the week before Christmas, and imposes much stricter local restrictions.

In short, residents are being told to stay at home, as all non-essential shops, and businesses close, much in the same was as during the second national lockdown.

The following rules apply to Tier Four areas:

- Residents should stay at home, unless they have a "reasonable excuse" such as work or education

- All non-essential shops must close

- Hairdressers and nail bars must close

- Indoor entertainment venues must close

- Gyms and indoor swimming pools, indoor sports courts and dance studios must close

- You cannot meet other people indoors, unless you live with them or they are part of your support bubble

- People should not leave tier four areas or travel abroad, except for limited reasons (including work and education)

- Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are only allowed in exceptional circumstances

- Meeting one other person from another household in an open public space, if you are both alone, is allowed

- Shopping for essentials such as food and medicine is allowed

- Outdoor pools, playgrounds, sports courts, golf courses and horse riding centres can open

- Communal religious worship is allowed

- Support bubbles are still allowed and children can move between separated parents The rules can be found in full on the government website here. It is also expected that schools will not return until the week of January 18, once mass testing of pupils and staff has been undertaken. A full address on this will be made by Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson later today.

Cases in the region

Public Health England statistics show that in the seven days before December 24 the rate of infections in the North Warwickshire district was 197.7 per 100,000 people. This has slowly been on the increase since a low of 119.5 in the seven days before December 3. The average for Warwickshire as a county in the week before Christmas was 247.43, with Rugby (358.93) and Nuneaton and Bedworth (263.1) boroughs both higher than the south of the county. Warwickshire's neighbours in Coventry and Solihull also have higher rates of infection. Coventry had a rate of 251.94 per 100,000 in the seven days up to December 24, and Solihull 260.66. Some areas had been escalated to Tier Four before Christmas, and then again on Boxing Day. Essex, London, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, and much of the south east already found themselves under Tier Four restrictions. In Essex in the seven days before December 23 the rate of infections was 849.6 per 100,000, and today a 'Major Incident' was declared in the region to help stop the spread of infection. In London during the same seven days infection rates were recorded as 814 per 100,000 people. Daily hospital intakes also show a difference between the Midlands and areas currently in Tier Four. In the Midlands daily hospital intakes have hovered between 300 and 400 for much of December, whilst in London rates have been over 500 since the middle of the month.