The Prime Minister has made a statement in the House of Commons on the details for the return to the ‘tier system’ in England when the current lockdown ends on 2 December 2020. The key announcements include:
- The national restrictions in England will end on 2 December 2020 and will not be renewed.
- From next Wednesday, regional tiers will be applied once again but restrictions will be tougher than before. The main changes are:
- Tier 1: People are encouraged to minimise travel and work from home where they can.
- Tier 2: Pubs and restaurants can only serve alcohol with a ‘substantial’ meal.
- Tier 3: All hospitality settings, except delivery and takeaways, will be closed. Indoor entertainment will also be closed.
- This time, the tiers will be a uniform set of rules with no negotiations on additional measures with different areas. The tier-system is intended to be in place until the end of March 2021.
- The 10.00pm curfew for hospitality venues will be scrapped. Instead, last orders will be called at 10.00pm with an 11.00pm closing time.
- The Government will set out which areas will be in each tier on Thursday.
- The Prime Minister also announced a strengthened programme of community testing with the roll-out of rapid, regular testing.
A summary of what types of social interaction can take place under each tier is as follows:
- Tier 1: Maximum of six indoors or outdoors, other than single households or support bubbles.
- Tier 2: No mixing of households indoors, apart from support bubbles. Maximum of six outdoors.
- Tier 3: No mixing of households indoors, or most outdoor places, apart from support bubbles. Maximum of six in some outdoor public spaces (e.g. parks, sports courts, public gardens).
Detailed guidance on the Government’s plan for managing Covid-19 through to the end of 2020 and into the start of 2021 can be accessed here.