Coronavirus updates: Johnson & Johnson pauses vaccine trial

The Liverpool area will be placed on the highest tier of England's new COVID-19 alert system from Wednesday, with bars, pubs and gyms forced to close, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced.

Johnson outlined the country's new three-tier system of COVID-19 alert levels on Monday afternoon, while addressing lawmakers in the House of Commons. He said every area of England will be placed into one of the three tiers -- "medium," "high" and "very high."

The "medium" level, which the prime minister said will cover most of the country, will consist of national measures, including the "rule of six" -- a ban on any gathering of more than six people -- and a 10 p.m. curfew for hospitality venues.

The "high" level, Johnson said, will prevent all social mixing indoors between different households or support bubbles in an effort to reduce household-to-household transmission, with the "rule of six" still in effect for mixing outdoors.

"Most areas which are already subject to local restrictions will automatically move into the 'high' alert level," the prime minister told lawmakers.

The "very high" level will ban social mixing indoors and in private gardens, along with the closure of all bars, pubs, gyms, betting shops, casinos and leisure centers in these areas, according to Johnson. The Liverpool City Region, home to 1.5 million people, is the first area to enter the "very high" alert level.

"The 'very high' alert level will apply where transmission rates are rising most rapidly," Johnson said.

All retail outlets, schools and universities will remain open across England.

"This is not how we want to live our lives," the prime minister told lawmakers. "But this is the narrow path we have to tread between the social and economic trauma of a full lockdown and the massive human and indeed economic cost of an uncontained epidemic."

The new measures come as England saw its number of COVID-19 infections quadruple in the last three weeks. There are now more patients hospitalized with COVID-19 than when the country went into lockdown in late March, according to Johnson.

"I must warn the House, the weeks and months ahead will continue to be difficult and will test the mettle of this country," he said. "I have no doubt at all that together we will succeed."

The Czech Republic has imposed more restrictive measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, as the country combats the highest rate of infection in Europe.

Cinemas, gyms, indoor public swimming pools, theaters and zoos will all be shuttered for at least two weeks. Bars and restaurants are ordered to close by 8 p.m. and no more than four patrons are allowed at a table. All universities and most high schools will offer only remote classes.

The new measures announced by the Czech government come as the European country of 10.7 million hit a new peak of 8,618 confirmed cases on Friday, up more than 3,000 from the previous day. The cumulative total stands at 117,110 confirmed cases with 987 deaths, according to the latest data from the Czech health ministry.

The Czech government declared a second state of emergency on Oct. 5 due to the rapid increase in COVID-19 infections, after having relaxed almost all restrictions over the summer. The declaration will last for 30 days.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Friday that he cannot rule out a nationwide lockdown.

ABC News' Dragana Jovanovic contributed to this report.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex warned Monday that tougher restrictions could be imposed as the country battles a "strong second wave" of COVID-19.

"The French thought it was over," Castex said during an interview on French news broadcaster France Info. "There can be no more relaxation."

At least nine major cities, including Paris and Marseille, have been placed under the maximum COVID-19 alert level as intensive care wards fill up again with patients. Castex said a "general lockdown" of the entire country "must be avoided by all means" but added that nothing should be ruled out, including local lockdowns.

Castex's warning comes as France hit a new record of daily COVID-19 cases over the weekend, with 26,896 confirmed in a 24-hour period.

France's public health agency confirmed 16,101 new cases and 46 deaths on Sunday. The cumulative totals now stand at 734,974 confirmed cases and 32,730 deaths, making France one of Europe's hardest-hit countries in the coronavirus pandemic.

ABC News' Ibtissem Guenfoud contributed to this report.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce tighter restrictions for England under a new three-tier system of COVID-19 alert levels.

Areas of England will be placed into "medium," "high" and "very high" alert levels with restrictions of varying severity. It's unclear which areas will be covered by which alert levels and what the respective interventions are. Johnson is expected to provide details on the new measures when he addresses lawmakers at the House of Commons on Monday afternoon

The country's medical chiefs warned of a resurgence in COVID-19 during a press conference Monday morning, pointing to graphs that showed rising infections and hospitalizations in swathes of England as winter approaches.

Liverpool has one of the highest levels of COVID-19 infection in England, with more than 600 cases per 100,000 population. The area is expected to be placed under the most stringent level of restrictions.

Stephen Powis, medical director of the National Health Service in England, told reporters Monday that three temporary COVID-19 hospitals in Manchester, Sunderland and Harrogate have been asked to prepare to reopen and accept new patients if necessary.