LONDON — The British government on Wednesday extended its toughest coronavirus restrictions to three-quarters of England’s population, saying a fast-spreading new variant of the virus has reached most of the country.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the government’s top infection-warning level, Tier 4, would be expanded beyond London and the southeast to cover large swaths of central, northern and southwest England.
Under Tier 4, people are advised to stay home, mixing of households is prohibited, nonessential shops are shut and restaurants and bars can only offer takeout.
Hancock said Wednesday’s authorization of a second vaccine for use in the U.K. was good news, but “sharply rising cases and the hospitalizations that follow demonstrate the need to act where the virus is spreading.”