England is set to shift back to a 3-tier system after the 2nd of December, confirms PM Boris Johnson this afternoon in his speech to the House of Commons.
Some areas of the country will move into Tier 2 and 3 after the lockdown, and depending on the risk levels, tougher Covid-19 restrictions are to be set in place for after the lockdown.
The new tier system will see tougher than pre-lockdown restrictions, and will form “a uniform set of rules.”
An announcement on which parts of the country will go into which tier will be made later this week, projected to be this coming Thursday.
It is likely that more parts of the country will fall under Tier 2 and 3 than previously seen.
Johnson stated that England’s lockdown has successfully slowed down the spreading of the virus, however, the R number is still not under 1.
Even though people will be allowed to leave their homes for any purposes, the rule of six will still apply.
Non-essential shops and gyms are also set to reopen in all tiers, after having been closed for almost a month.
Indoor entertainment will be prohibited in Tier 3, and restaurants will only able to function on a take-away basis.
Pubs will need to take last orders at 10pm, and close by 11pm under the new measures.
The PM has not yet announced any restrictions regarding Christmas, but he did mention the celebration, concluding that they would like to allow families to come together while minimising the risks.
“I can’t say that Christmas will be normal this year. We all want some kind of Christmas, we need it and we certainly feel that we deserve it.”
The previous imminent self-isolation for people who have been in close contact with someone who contracted the virus will be scrapped. It will now only be people who test positive who have to self-isolate.
Johnson has also mentioned a new testing system to be in place from January, which is yet to be specified. The PM talked about the effectiveness of the Oxford Vaccine, “with over 350 million doses secured by the UK Government for the benefit of all four nations.”
“This will be still a hard winter, but we have turned a corner, and the escape route is in sight.”
See the government’s full Covid-19 Winter Plan here.
Words: Sara Varga | Subbing: Chloe Rose