REGIONAL measures set to be introduced after national lockdown may have to be "strengthened". 

That is according to a government advisor speaking about what faces the country after the expected end-date of lockdown on December 2. 

The government has been insistent that the nationwide measures will be replaced with local ones after the date.

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The three-tier system was used in England to tackle the spread of coronavirus before the national lockdown began.

But England's regional Covid tier system may need to be "strengthened" to get the country "through the winter", a senior government adviser has said.

Public Health England's Dr Susan Hopkins said they needed to look at what "tiers there may be in the future" when the lockdown ends on December 2.

Speaking at the government's evening coronavirus briefing, Dr Hopkins, who is also a member of the government's scientific advisory group (Sage), said the "key" to knowing if the four-week lockdown in England was working was "if cases fall" and they expect to know that "in the next week".

The Argus:

Coronavirus hotspots in Brighton and Hove 

"As long as we see cases decline we can make judgments... about opening up," she said.

She added that, prior to the lockdown, the "tiering of the country" had had a "different effect in each area".

"Tier three plus" had led to a reduction in cases in the North West, she said, while tier two "holds in some areas and not in others", depending on "how well individuals are taking that advice in".

However, she added: "We see very little effect from tier one and when we look at what tiers may be there in the future, we will have to think about strengthening them to get us through the winter months until the vaccine is available for everyone."

Brighton and Hove remained in Tier 1 throughout the regional lockdowns - meaning places could stay open but people had to obey the rule of six rule.

Tier 2 saw household mixing banned indoors while the rule of six will continued to apply outdoors.

In Tier 3 areas, social mixing was banned both indoors and in private gardens, while pubs and bars closed unless they could operate as a restaurant.

It comes as the UK announced another 21,363 daily Covid cases, as well as a further 213 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.