Peterborough moves into Tier 3 due to rising COVID rate

The rules for areas on 'Very High Alert', will come into force on Saturday, December 19, and will mean pubs and restaurants will have to close apart from for takeaway orders. Fans will also be banned from elite sports fixtures, including Peterborough United home matches

The announcement was made by Health Secretary Matt Hancock in the House of Commons this morning.

Mr Hancock said case rates in the south of England are up 46% in the last week while hospital admissions are up by more than a third, adding in the east of England cases are up two thirds and hospital admissions up by nearly half in the last week.

He told the Commons: “It is therefore necessary to apply Tier 3 measures across a much wider area of the east and south east of England, including Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Peterborough, the whole of Hertfordshire, Surrey with the exception of Waverley, Hastings and Rother on the Kent border of East Sussex, and Portsmouth, Gosport and Havant in Hampshire.”

The changes will take effect from 0001 on Saturday.

Peterborough is currently in Tier 2 as the latest new Covid case rate for the city area published last night was 296.6 cases per 100,000 in the seven days to December 12 which represented 600 new cases compared to 205.7, (416 new cases) the previous week.

Tier levels have been decided by looking at a number of factors, including case rates in all age groups and, in particular, amongst the over 60s and vulnerable residents..

How quickly the rate is rising or falling is also a key part of the consideration, as is the pressure on NHS services in the area.

The tiers are being reviewed every two weeks by the Government, which means the next announcement is likely to take place on New Year's Eve.

Some restrictions will be relaxed over the Christmas period allowing restricted mixing of households over a five day period - just a few days after the Tier 3 restrictions are brought in.

The rules in England will say three households will be able to meet from December 23 - December 27. Rules for some of the devolved nations are different.

However there have been strong warnings to residents to minimise interactions during the five day break as much as possible, and to take measures to keep the mixing as COVID safe as possible.

MORE: Peterborough health chief says safest family Christmas this year is online, over phone or outside

The Tier 3 restrictions will be put back in place on December 28.

The full details about Christmas restrictions are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-a-christmas-bubble-with-friends-and-family/making-a-christmas-bubble-with-friends-and-family

The Tier 3 rules:

In Tier 3:

you must not meet socially indoors or in most outdoor places with anybody you do not live with, or who is not in your support bubble, this includes in any private garden or at most outdoor venues

you must not socialise in a group of more than 6 in some other outdoor public spaces, including parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, a public garden, grounds of a heritage site or castle, or a sports facility – this is called the ‘rule of 6’

hospitality settings, such as bars (including shisha venues), pubs, cafes and restaurants are closed – they are permitted to continue sales by takeaway, click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services.

accommodation such as hotels, B&Bs, campsites, and guest houses must close. There are several exemptions, such as for those who use these venues as their main residence, and those requiring the venues where it is reasonably necessary for work or education and training

indoor entertainment and tourist venues must close. This includes:

indoor play centres and areas, including trampolining parks and soft play

casinos

bingo halls

bowling alleys

skating rinks

amusement arcades and adult gaming centres

laser quests and escape rooms

cinemas, theatres and concert halls

snooker halls

indoor attractions at mostly outdoor entertainment venues must also close (indoor shops, through-ways and public toilets at such attractions can remain open). This includes indoor attractions within:

zoos, safari parks, and wildlife reserves

aquariums, visitor attractions at farms, and other animal attractions

model villages

museums, galleries and sculpture parks

botanical gardens, biomes or greenhouses

theme parks, circuses, fairgrounds and funfairs

visitor attractions at film studios, heritage sites such as castles and stately homes

landmarks including observation decks and viewing platforms

leisure and sports facilities may continue to stay open, but group exercise classes (including fitness and dance) should not go ahead.

there should be no public attendance at spectator sport or indoor performances and large business events should not be taking place. Elite sport events may continue to take place without spectators

large outdoor events (performances and shows) should not take place, with the exception of drive-in events

places of worship remain open, but you must not attend with or socialise with anyone outside of your household or support bubble while you are there, unless a legal exemption applies

weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the number of attendees – 15 people can attend wedding ceremonies, wedding receptions are not allowed, 30 people can attend funeral ceremonies, 15 people can attend linked commemorative events

organised outdoor sport, and physical activity and exercise classes can continue, however higher-risk contact activity should not take place

organised indoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes cannot take place indoors. There are exceptions for indoor disability sport, sport for educational purposes and supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s

you can continue to travel to venues or amenities which are open, but should aim to reduce the number of journeys you make where possible

avoid travelling outside of your area, including for overnight stays other than where necessary, such as for work, education, youth services, to receive medical treatment, or because of caring responsibilities. You can travel through other areas as part of a longer journey

for international travel see the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office travel advice for your destination and the travel corridors list

The full list of restrictions and exemptions is available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-restriction-tiers-what-you-need-to-know