PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson said today that England will face beefed-up tiered coronavirus restrictions until the end of March when the current national blanket lockdown ends on December 2.

Before the national lockdown, parts of England were subjected to restrictions of varying degrees: Tier 1 “medium alert,” Tier 2 “high” and Tier 3 “very high alert.”

Mr Johnson said that the new tiers would be tougher than their predecessors, and that further details for the new system will be announced on Thursday.

Appearing via video link from Downing Street, Johnson said that in the new Tier 2 alcohol may only be served in hospitality settings as part of a substantial meal.

In Tier 3, pubs and restaurants will only be able to offer takeaway and delivery services, while indoor entertainment, hotels and other accommodation will close.

But the 10pm curfew will be relaxed, with last orders now closed at that time and premises ordered to shut at 11pm.

Johnson said: “From next Wednesday people will be able to leave their home for any purpose and meet others in outdoor public spaces, subject to the rule of six, collective worship, weddings and outdoor sports can resume, and shops, personal care, gyms and the wider leisure sector can reopen.”

He thanked citizens for the “sacrifices” they had made and said the “scientific cavalry” in the form of a vaccine was now in sight.

The announcement of the new measures came as the Oxford-AstraZeneca team announced its vaccine had proved 70 per cent effective.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that, despite a vaccine breakthrough being a “light at the end of the tunnel,” the government’s return to the three-tiered system was “risky.”

In response to Johnson’s statement, he said: “The Prime Minister proposes a return to the three-tier system. That’s risky, because the previous three-tier system didn’t work.

“Tier 1 areas drifted to Tier 2, almost all Tier 2 areas ended up in Tier 3 and those in Tier 3 couldn’t see a way out and we ended up in national lockdown.”

He also raised concerns over the R rate not being brought below 1 as the test and trace system is “not fit for purpose.”