Moment of truth for Luton as 5 key factors will decide whether borough moves into Tier 3

Five key factors will decide if the borough goes into the highest tier of Covid-19 restrictions from next week.

Tier 3 restrictions would mean no mixing of households, pubs and restaurants could only operate as takeaways and fans would be banned once again from sporting events.

Experts from the Joint Biosecurity Centre, Public Health England and the NHS monitors the number of new infections, positivity rates, and pressures on health services. They are due to review the Covid Winter Plan on Wednesday, December 16.

Their decision is expected to be announced on Thursday morning.

Here are the five factors being considered:

■ Case detection rates in all age groups

■ Case detection rates in the over-60s age group.

■ The rate at which cases are rising or falling.

■ Positivity rate — the number of positive cases detected as a percentage of tests taken.

■ Pressure on the NHS, including current and projected occupancy.

The seven-day rolling rate of positive tests in Luton reached 295.7 per 100,000 people by December 9 - just shy of the 300 mark indicated for Tier 3.

That is on a par with London, which the health secretary has already confirmed will be moved into Tier 3, along with parts of Essex and Hertfordshire.

London is an upper tier authority with rates ranging from under 100 to over 400 in different boroughs.

Kingsway in Luton currently has one of the highest rolling rates in the east of England at 487.8 new positive tests per 100,000 people.

Luton's public health chief has urged residents with symptoms to self-isolate as coronavirus cases remain "stubbornly high" in the town.

Director of public health Lucy Hubber said: "If you've got symptoms, no matter how mild, you must stay at home and get a test.

"Some people, when they've got symptoms, are still going to work or sending their children to school. Some people are even having tests and then still going to work while waiting for their results - this puts everybody at risk.

"Please, if you've got symptoms, stay at home and get a test. If the test is negative, you can stop isolating."

Similar fears have been expressed in neighbouring Central Bedfordshire, which has also seen a spike with an increase of 125 cases last week, as well as six deaths.

Final decisions on tiers are made by the Prime Minister at the Covid Operations Committee and are expected to be announced by Thursday with new rules coming into force at the weekend.

Numbers of positive tests across Luton are already higher than before the last lockdown at the beginning of November.