THE Government has said it is "waiting to see" what impact the latest changes to the tiered restrictions have before making any decisions on further measures.

Downing Street said the current situation is "unclear" but will "always take the measures needed to reduce the spread of the virus".

It comes as pressure mounts on the Government to take swift action to stem the spread of Covid-19, which is running out of control across vast swathes of the country.

There have been calls from Labour, Tory MPs and top scientists for urgent action to be taken including imposing a "March-style lockdown" in which schools would close.

The National Education Union has called for schools to be closed, which has led to some schools in Bradford not opening today.

And just this morning, chair of the Health Select Committee and former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt called for schools and borders to be closed immediately and a ban on household mixing to try and contain Covid-19.

Downing Street has said the Government is waiting to see the impact of the latest coronavirus restrictions in England before deciding on which further measures would be needed.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We have been waiting to see the impact of the Tier 4 measures. It is a bit unclear still at the moment.

“I have always said we would continue to look at the latest evidence and data and that is what we base our decisions on.

“We have always said that we would take the measures needed to reduce the spread of the virus and we will continue to do.”

Downing Street has also said the Government is “ramping up” the coronavirus vaccination programme with the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab which started today.

“The NHS has the capacity to deliver vaccines as soon as they have been manufactured and have undergone the relevant safety checks,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

“We are ramping up the vaccine programme. More GPs and hospitals are coming on stream all the time.

“Our priority has always been and will remain getting the vaccine to as many people as possible as quickly as possible. The NHS is set up to do that.”