Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay says the government does not want to criminalise families mixing over Christmas, despite London, most of Essex and parts of Hertfordshire moving into England's highest tier of Covid restrictions.
More than 34 million people in England will be in Tier 3 when the changes come into effect on Wednesday, however all will be able to mix with other households for five days over the holiday period.
Report by Alibhaiz.
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