New lockdown rules for Leeds and West Yorkshire: What are the new national lockdown rules, when does Leeds lockdown start and how long will Covid rules be in place?

All of Leeds and Yorkshire is abandoning the Tier system in favour of a new national lockdown.

What are the lockdown rules?

The new lockdown rules mean you should stay at home, apart from to shop for essentials, to work if you cannot work from home, to exercise or get medicine.

Primary schools, secondary schools and colleges must move to online provision except for vulnerable children and children of key workers

You cannot mix with any other household

Non essential shops will be closed - see the full details on shops and businesses closed here

Can I meet other households?

You cannot leave your home to meet socially with anyone you do not live with or are not in a support bubble with (if you are legally permitted to form one).

You may exercise on your own, with one other person, or with your household or support bubble.

You should not meet other people you do not live with, or have formed a support bubble with, unless for a permitted reason.

Stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household.

When will the new lockdown start in Leeds? When will lockdown end?

The lockdown will begin on Wednesday morning, ie just after 11.59pm on Tuesday evening, and is expected to be in effect until at least February half term, so it is roughly six weeks at a minimum.

The country will move to alert level 5, which means NHS capacity may well be overwhelmed in 21 days

The Prime Minister said the UK is now rolling out the 'biggest vaccination programme in our history', adding that the arrival of the UK's Oxford vaccine means the pace of vaccination is accelerating.

He said: "By the middle of February, we expect to have offered the first vaccine dose to everyone in the top four priority groups. That means all residents of a care home and their carers, everyone over the age of 70, all frontline health and social care workers and everyone clinically extremely vulnerable. If we succeed in vaccinating all those groups, we will have removed those people from the path of the virus.

"There is a time lag between getting the jab and immunity and there is a further lag on the impact on the NHS. If the rollout of the vaccine programmes continue to be successful and if deaths start to fall as the vaccine takes effect, and if everyone plays their part.

"I know how tough this is and I know you have had more than enough of government guidance in beating this virus.

"You must once again stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives."

The new national lockdown Covid rules in full:

You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary. You may leave the home to:

shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person

go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home

exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.

meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one

seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)

attend education or childcare - for those eligible

Colleges, primary and secondary schools will remain open only for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. All other children will learn remotely until February half term. Early Years settings remain open.

Higher Education provision will remain online until mid February for all except future critical worker courses.

If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local in the village, town, or part of the city where you live. You may leave your local area for a legally permitted reason, such as for work.

If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential. You should not attend work

What is the Covid situation in Leeds?

The latest figures from NHS England show there were 145 Covid-19 patients in Leeds hospitals as of December 29.

This remains lower than the peak in November, where up to 331 coronavirus patients were recorded.

Why is Leeds in lockdown, despite rates still being low compared to other areas?

The Prime Minister said that in England the number of Covid patients in hospitals has increased by nearly a third in the last week to almost 27,000 – some 40% higher than the first peak in April.

On December 29 “more than 80,000 people tested positive for Covid across the UK”, the number of deaths is up by 20% over the last week “and will sadly rise further”.

“With most of the country, or maybe under extreme measures, it’s clear that we need to do more together to bring this new variant under control while our vaccines are rolled out.

“In England we must therefore go into a national lockdown which is tough enough to contain this variant.”