The city's residents will need to abide by Tier 2 new rules from this Saturday, October 31.

Tier 2 restrictions mean:

• People must not meet socially with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place like a restaurant.
• People must not meet in a group of more than six outside, including in a garden or other space.
• People should aim to reduce the number of journeys they make where possible. If they need to travel, they should walk or cycle where possible. If taking public transport, they should plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes.

FOLLOW LIVE: The latest information as Oxford moves to Tier 2

Rates per 100,000 in Oxford city rose to 137.1 for the week ending October 23.

For Oxfordshire as a whole, the rate was 117.5 for the same period.

The rest of Oxfordshire will remain under the relatively relaxed Tier 1 restrictions for now.

But according to Oxfordshire County Council, the Covid rates across the rest of the county are on the rise.

Cases per 100,000 within the different districts of Oxfordshire are 151.5 in Cherwell, 92.2 in South Oxfordshire, 91.2 in Vale of White Horse and 109.4 in West Oxfordshire.

The decision to keep the rest of Oxfordshire in Tier 1 has been taken by Government despite advice from the county's director of public health and the backing of local political leaders of all parties, local business leaders at Oxford Local Enterprise Partnerships and representatives of local health trusts.

Read our explainer about what Tier 2 will mean for Oxford here

Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “The continued rise in numbers across the county has once more been discussed with central government and Public Health England and it has been agreed that this is the appropriate moment for Oxford move to tier 2.

“However, we remain seriously concerned about the rise in the number of cases across the county, and not just Oxford. We are deeply disappointed that despite clear evidence showing the virus is now spreading to older and more vulnerable communities across the county, our request that Oxfordshire as a whole should move to tier 2 was not approved.

“My five fellow local authority leaders and I firmly believe this is a necessary step to stem the spread of the virus, protect our communities and the Oxfordshire economy. Our position has the full backing of the chief executives of our NHS partners and the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, and we will continue to push for a move for the rest of the county to happen as soon as possible based on the epidemiological evidence.”