LEADERS of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales met yesterday afternoon to discuss a 'joint up' approach to Christmas as England comes out of its second lockdown. Here are the Covid talking points from the last 24-hours.

  • A further 608 people in the UK have died

The Government said a further 608 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Tuesday, bringing the UK total to 55,838.

Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been more than 71,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

The Government said that, as of 9am on Tuesday, there had been a further 11,299 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.

It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 1,538,794.

  • Christmas updates and the tier system

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has said it is “inevitable” that a loosening of coronavirus restrictions over Christmas will “drive a rise” of infections.

Comments come as leaders from the four UK nations took part in a Cobra meeting yesterday afternoon to “fashion a common approach to Christmas”.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the wrangling with the likes of Greater Manchester over the escalation of the tiered system had influenced the decision not to enter into negotiations under the altered scheme next month.

The Joint Biosecurity Centre will make recommendations of which areas of England should be placed in which tier from December 2, Downing Street said.

Councils will be given new powers to close businesses for up to a week if they fail to make their premises Covid-secure.

Hancock said that he does not expect another national lockdown to happen.

  • North-East 'likely' to be placed under Tier 3 rules next week

The North-East will likely be placed under Tier 3 restrictions once the national lockdown ends next week, The Northern Echo understands.

Sources close to council leaders across the region say talks are ongoing this week, but that figures still point towards the strictest of rules being imposed.

It comes as Boris Johnson last night confirmed England would return to the three-tier system that was imposed before the second lockdown began on November 5. Read the full story here.

  • Boris Johnson to confirm tiers Thursday- what will be allowed

Boris Johnson has set out new measures to stop the spread of coronavirus in England through the winter.

The country will return to a regional tiered approach when the current lockdown ends on December 2 – but more areas will face tougher restrictions than under the previous regime.

The Prime Minister is expected to announce which tier each area will be in, this Thursday. Click here to find out what will and will not be allowed under each tier.

  • TJ Hughes in Durham told to close after trading during lockdown

A department  store in County Durham has been told it must close or face further action if it does not adhere to a prohibition notice issued by the council.

TJ Hughes in Durham City has been served with a prohibition notice from Durham County Council after failing to close as required under Covid regulations.

The store, which is in the Prince Bishops Shopping Centre, had initially remained open while the firm argued that it sold food, hardware and gardening supplies.

Last week, TJ Hughes in Middlesbrough was reportedly handed a £17,000 fine for failing to close during lockdown as it was deemed to be non-essential. Click here to read the full story.

  • The latest Covid-19 figures for the region

A further 715 people have tested positive for Covid in the North-East and North Yorkshire.

The Government said a further 608 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Tuesday, bringing the UK total to 55,838.

Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been more than 71,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.