ISLANDERS are being urged not to travel to Portsmouth after it was placed in Tier 4 by prime minister, Boris Johnson this afternoon (Saturday).

At the government's latest coronavirus briefing, Johnson announced new measures to combat a new, more transmissable strain of coronavirus, declaring: "We cannot continue with Christmas as planned."

The Isle of Wight remains under Tier 1 restrictions over Christmas, but as of midnight tonight, just seven miles across The Solent, Portsmouth moved into Tier 4 — a lockdown similar to that reimposed nationally last month.

However, for those in Tiers 1, 2 and 3, the rules allowing up to three households to meet over the festive period will now be limited to Christmas Day only — not the five days as previously planned — and that Christmas bubbles for those in Tiers 1-3 will not be able to include anyone in Tier 4.

There will also be no relaxation of restrictions for New Year.

"People should not travel into a Tier 4 area," warned the prime minister, who added the spread of the virus in many parts of South East England is now being driven by a new variant of the virus. 

Read: today's latest coronavirus figures for the Isle of Wight. 

If you are unable to work from home, you can still travel to work, while the government and NHS are asking people to keep attending their booked hospital appointments, with Hovertravel continuing to work with the Wessex Cancer Trust, ferrying patients to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.

Boris Johnson reiterates that there's no evidence that it causes more severe illness or higher mortality, although new data suggests it may be up to 70 per cent more transmissible than the old variant.