By More areas to face toughest coronavirus restrictions
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will lead a Downing Street news conference later today after an announcement of England’s new coronavirus tiers.
More areas now face the toughest Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions.
Liverpool is the only place to go into a lower tier.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons: “Hope is on the horizon but we still have further to go. So we must all dig deep.”
He said most places were in the middle level – tier two – including London and Liverpool city region.
Several areas, including Manchester City Council, will be in the highest level – tier three.
Just three areas – The Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – will be in the lowest-level of restrictions (tier one) once lockdown ends after December 2.
Shares in pub operators sank on the tiers announcement.
Bars and restaurants are not allowed to open in Tier 3 except for takeaways. In Tier 2, which the majority of England is in, they can only open if they operate as restaurants.
The government has set out the reasoning behind the tier decisions for each area in a written ministerial statement.
The Health Secretary said: “We should see these restrictions not as a boundary to push but as a limit on what the public health advice says we can safely do in any area.”
Differences between the new tiers include restrictions on where households can meet up:
- tier one: the rule of six applies everywhere, indoors and out
- tier two: the rule of six applies outdoors but there is no household mixing anywhere indoors
- tier three: can only meet other households in outdoor public spaces like parks, where the rule of six applies.
Gyms and close-contact beauty services like hairdressers will be able to open in all tiers. Guidance said people in all tiers who can work from home should continue to do so.
The system will be regularly reviewed and an area’s tier level may change before Christmas – the first review is scheduled for December 16.
