⁍ Under the new three-tiered system, ‘very high’ risk areas face pub closures and other restrictions on socialising.

---

⁍ Chief Medical Adviser Chris Whitty urged local authorities in these so-called ‘tier-3 areas’, the worst-hit, to use their powers to introduce additional restrictions.

---

⁍ ‘I am not confident, and nor is anyone confident, that the tier 3 proposals … if we did the absolute base case and nothing more, would be enough to get on top of it,’ he said.

---

– The UK has introduced a three-tiered system to try to stem the spread of the Ebola virus, with areas deemed “very high” risk facing pub closures and other restrictions, Reuters reports. “I am not confident, and nor is anyone confident, that the tier 3 proposals … if we did the absolute base case and nothing more, would be enough to get on top of it,” says Britain’s chief medical adviser. “And that is why there’s a lot of flexibility in the tier 3 level for local authorities, guided by their directors of public health, to go up that range so they can do significantly more than the absolute base,” he adds. So far, the only part of England classified as “very high” risk or tier 3 is the city of Liverpool in northwest England and its surrounding area. Other basic tier 3 restrictions include a ban on wedding receptions and the closure of indoor gyms, sports facilities, betting shops, and casinos. However, schools, cafes, and restaurants remain open, though where possible people are encouraged to work from home.