The lockdown elevates as five areas enter Tier 3. Authorities confirm, stressing the lockdown’s necessity. Inhabitants adjust, businesses brace, and communities ponder the lockdown’s implications. It’s a uniform lockdown echo through streets once vibrant, now still, as the region complies with the new lockdown phase.
The UK government has announced that two more areas in the North and Midlands will be placed under Tier 3 lockdown due to a surge in Covid cases. Warrington will be the fourth area to enter Tier 3, and discussions are ongoing regarding certain parts of Nottinghamshire potentially becoming the fifth area, pending local leaders’ meetings with the government.
Talks with West Yorkshire and the North East have been reopened, with the status of these areas still uncertain. Leaders in the North East have expressed resistance to moving into Tier 3.
In Tier 3 areas, pubs and bars will be forced to close unless they can operate as restaurants and serve alcohol only with substantial meals. Social gatherings with individuals from other households are banned in indoor and private outdoor spaces. Non-essential travel in and out of the area is advised against. The restrictions last for 28 days before a review. Additionally, betting and gaming shops, casinos, and soft play centers in Warrington must close.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock cited increasing infection rates as the reason for moving Warrington to the highest alert level, with case rates reaching 361 people per 100,000 across all age groups and a 20% increase in infections among the over 60s.
Further measures specific to areas of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire will be announced, with discussions focusing on involving four of the county’s eight boroughs: Nottingham, Gedling, Broxtowe, and Rushcliffe. Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood highlighted differing case rate trends within the county and expressed confusion about the ongoing discussions. Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome raised concerns about funding for these areas, given the financial strain caused by the pandemic. She emphasized that council budgets are already overstretched due to previous budget cuts.
