Virtually the whole of England could face a ban on family gatherings until Christmas, the Mirror has learned.
Ministers will tomorrow announce which tiers different parts of the country will fall into.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned that “no-one is going to be happy” when the Government publishes its list.
The majority of areas are expected to be put in tier 2 or 3 after Boris Johnson admitted that more would go into higher levels than before.
Previously, around half of England was in tier 1, the lowest level of restrictions, with measures including the Rule of Six and the 10pm curfew.
But two separate government sources told the Mirror that it was now “possible” that no regions would initially be put in tier 1.
This would mean that people would, at least initially, face severe restrictions on meeting other households both inside and outside.
Government scientific advisors have also warned ministers that tier 1 was ineffective at getting the virus under control.
One member of the SAGE advisory group told the Mirror: “The old tier 1 did not do much to slow transmission”.
The Government’s own winter Covid plan suggests the emphasis will be on moving regions down tiers, indicating they could be in higher ones to start with.
“These tiers are designed to reduce and keep R below 1 and therefore allow areas to move down the tiers, unlike the previous tiers which mostly slowed the increase, resulting in an epidemic that kept growing,” it says.
Tiers for individual areas will be reviewed at least every two weeks, but Boris Johnson has already warned more areas than before will be in Tiers 2 and 3.
Tier 2 rules ban people from meeting anyone socially indoors, unless they are from the same household or support bubble.
This applies at home or in a public setting, such as a pub. Rule of six limits apply outdoors, including in gardens or pub beer gardens.
Tier 3 rules ban people from meeting anyone socially almost anywhere, unless from the same household or support bubble.
This applies in all indoor settings, and in outdoor settings such as private gardens, restaurant terraces and pub beer gardens.
The only place different households can meet within the rule of six is an outdoor public space, such as a park or woodland.
The rules will effectively be suspended UK-wide from December 23-27 for a five-day break over Christmas.
In this period people from up to three households can form a 'Christmas bubble' which can gather in private homes, outdoor spaces and places of worship - though not the pub.