New Year's Eve queues at Hull Marina as revellers grab takeaway drinks
People were making the most of their limited Tier 3 freedoms on December 31
Big queues have formed outside bars in Hull as New Year's Eve revellers headed for takeaway drinks on December 31.
Pictures showed the queues of drinkers snaking out of the bars around Hull Marina the day after the city found out it would be remaining in Tier 3.
Under Tier 3 rules, pubs and restaurants cannot open except for takeaways and click and collect.
Groups of six can also only meet in outdoor public spaces, such as parks and sports courts – but not in private gardens.
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Several people were seen hanging around in the street enjoying their drinks.
Hull is now one of a minority of places not under Tier 4 restrictions in England, the harshest measures currently in use.
This means pubs, restaurants, non-essential shops, hairdressers, gyms and entertainment venues are legally obliged to close. Weddings are also banned.
Matt Hancock plunged more areas into the toughest restrictions during a tier review yesterday.
It means that three quarters of England - and 44 million people - were in Tier 4 from Thursday.
The Health Secretary said the move of areas to the toughest restrictions was to protect the NHS, as hospitals are "under very significant pressure" and "the threat to life is real".
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a Downing Street briefing on Wednesday: "That means not meeting up with friends or family indoors, unless they're in the same household or support bubble, and avoiding large gatherings of any kind."
NHS Chief Professor Stephen Powis also urged Britons to stay at home during the briefing, warning that "Covid loves a crowd".
In stark figures released on Thursday, The Government said a further 964 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the UK total to 73,512.
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 89,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.
