It has been confirmed this afternoon that Cornwall is moving into Tier 2.

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, the Isle of Wight, and Herefordshire had been the only places to put into Tier 1, the lowest tier level, following the government revisions last Thursday.

However, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed in the last few minutes that this will change as of one minute past midnight on Boxing Day. 

From then Cornwall, as well as Herefordshire, will be in Tier 2. 

Cornwall Council's health chief has said it is vital people stick to thre guidelines

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News first emerged earlier from political journalists at Downing Street that this could be about happen. 

Steven Swinford, deputy political editor for The Times, has tweeted a list of what he says he has "heard in full" from government sources.

More areas will also go into Tier 4 on Boxing Day, while other areas of the south west, Bristol and Somerset, will go into Tier 3. 

It comes as the reproduction number for coronavirus in the UK – the R value – is now reckoned to be between 1.1 and 1.3, latest Government data suggests.

Cases will continue to grow as long as the rate is above 1.0.

Yesterday saw Cornwall's confirmed cases double in 24 hours, to 101 new cases between Monday and Tuesday. 

There were also four hospitals deaths involving patients confirmed to have coronavirus over the weekend. 

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Mr Hancock said that the new variant was spreading "at a dangerous rate." 

Other news from the press conference was that a third new variant of coronavirus had been discovered and was in the UK. 

Mr Hancock said two cases of another new variant of the virus had been found in the UK.

Both are contacts of people who travelled from South Africa over the last few weeks.