A woman wearing a face mask is seen among Christmas trees in London, Britain, on Dec. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

Another 17,272 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 1,723,242, according to official figures released Sunday.

The coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 231 to 61,245, the data showed.

Earlier Sunday, a Christmas market in northern England's Nottingham city, which is placed in Tier 3 restrictions, has been closed due to large crowds and a lack of social distancing.

The Mellors Group, the organizer of the market, said in a statement: "In light of the unprecedented high footfall seen up and down the country for retail nationally, we have decided to temporarily close the Christmas market."

People shop in a cafe in London, Britain, on Dec. 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

Meanwhile in London, four men were arrested for such offenses as affray and breaking coronavirus regulations, as crowds gathered outside Harrods, a famed department store in central London.

England is currently under a new three-tier system of coronavirus restrictions that replaced the month-long national lockdown in England which ended on Dec. 2. London is one of the Tier 2 areas.

Under the new system, shops are allowed to re-open across England, giving a Christmas bonanza to the struggling retail sector, but all bars and restaurants in the toughest Tier 3 areas remain closed. The system put about 98 percent of England into Tier 2 and 3.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.