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Liverpool's leaders have called on the government to impose a new nationwide lockdown to halt the spread of the new variant of Covid-19.
Acting mayor Wendy Simon and the city council's cabinet said urgent action is needed because the rise in coronavirus cases had reached "alarming levels".
They said it was "self-evident" the tier system has not curbed the variant.
It had been concentrated in London and south-east England but is believed to be spreading north.
Cases in Liverpool have almost trebled in the past two weeks to 350 per 100,000.
This is despite the city successfully leading the national pilot for community testing, which resulted in it becoming the first city to be taken out of tier 3 and moved into tier 2 .
However, the recent rise in cases meant Liverpool returned to tier three on Thursday.
The Labour city council's statement said: "It is clear that the country is now at a crossroads with Covid-19.
"This virulent new strain of the virus is very much on the rise and we need to act now to prevent a crisis that will unleash even more pain and anguish.
"We need the government to listen to those at the frontline, both in our hospitals and frontline services.
"We as a nation can cope with a lockdown. We have before and we can again. The quicker we move into one now, the more lives will be saved and the quicker a recovery will be.
"Yes, there will be pain for our retail and hospitality sectors, but they want long term security and a strong recovery and a lockdown provides both.
Liverpool's leaders called for "an additional package of welfare and economic support".
'Facing a catastrophe'
They also warned that the high Covid rates in London will soon spread across the country.
"Let's get ahead of the curve and act now," the statement said.
"Millions of Britons have made many sacrifices these past 10 months and none of us want to see those efforts go to waste.
"The country is currently facing a catastrophe that will undo much of what has been achieved if we do not act as one."
The statement was issued by the city council, acting mayor Wendy Simon and cabinet member for public health, councillor Paul Brant.
The city's current mayor Joe Anderson is on police bail after being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation. He has said he will not fight for re-election in May due to the investigation.
A government spokeswoman said: "We strengthened our measures by introducing tier 4 two weeks ago, based on advice from Sage [Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies] and it is vital everyone continues to follow the rules to reduce transmission in their areas, save lives and protect our NHS.
"We keep the spread of Covid-19 under constant review based on latest medical and scientific data and have been clear we will not hesitate to take actions necessary to protect local communities."
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