Swale in Kent has reemerged as England's coronavirus hotspot, official figures show. On Thursday, millions of people in England will find out what restrictions their local area will be under after coming out of lockdown on December 2.
Areas with elevated rates of infection will almost certainly be placed into Tier 3 restrictions meaning that pubs and restaurants will have to shut.
Officials and scientists will be analysing the rates alongside a range of other complex factors to determine which tier an area will go into.
Decision-makers will be considering factors including how badly over-60s are affected, the 'R' transmission rate, how fast cases are rising and falling, and how under-pressure an area's local NHS is.