COVID-19: UK coronavirus deaths increase by 232, with 20,263 new cases reported
Coronavirus infection rates have increased dramatically in London and the South East.
Monday 14 December 2020 21:37, UK
A further 232 people have died with coronavirus in the UK, government figures show.
Another 20,263 confirmed cases have also been reported in the past 24 hours.
This is up on last Monday's figures, when 14,718 new cases and 189 deaths were recorded.
Earlier, Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed a new coronavirus variant could be behind a rapid increase in cases in London and the South East.
He told MPs that "initial analysis suggests this variant is growing faster than the existing variant", adding: "We have currently identified over a thousand cases of this variant, predominantly in the south of England, although cases have been identified in nearly 60 local authority areas and numbers are increasing rapidly."
Infections have climbed dramatically in London and the South East, with rates rising across every local authority area in the capital in the seven days to 10 December and the highest number of hospital admissions since April.
Ministers decided on Monday to move London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire into Tier 3.
Almost 10 million people are being moved into Tier 3 from Wednesday, meaning 61% of England's population will be under the highest level of restrictions.
A rise in cases is particularly worrying ahead of the Christmas period, when many families are expected to get together.
Between 23 and 27 December, people can form an exclusive "Christmas bubble" with two other households and will be allowed to travel between tiers.
But SAGE, the government's group of scientific advisers, has warned the family get-togethers could increase cases by "potentially a large amount".