Nottingham to move into Tier 3 from Thursday night
Nottingham and parts of the surrounding county are set to move into the top level of coronavirus measures this week, in a move that will see almost 800,000 people placed under Tier 3 restrictions, the government confirmed today.
People living in the city, along with residents of Rushcliffe, Gedling and Broxstowe will face the toughest level of restrictions from midnight on Thursday, as the government scrambles to curb a spike in infections across the county.
Ministers will review the restrictions after 28 days, with hopes the fresh measures will stem the rate of infection in the Northern region.
Council bosses said the sweeping changes were needed to “achieve a sustained reduction in infection rates” and “help protect our vulnerable residents, the NHS and social care services.”
“Further measures specific to these areas of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire will be announced tomorrow,” they added.
Nottingham joins Warrington in the highest rung of local lockdown restrictions, after ministers announced the Northern town will enter Tier 3 from midnight tonight.
Infection rates in Warrington are currently among the highest in England, with 361 people per 100,000 infected among all age groups, according to the Department of Health.
Council leaders in Warrington accepted a £6m support package from the government to protect jobs and livelihoods and bolster testing capabilities for its 210,000 residents.
Health secretary Matt Hancock thanked residents for their “sacrifices”, adding: “I want to extend my thanks to each and every one of them for recognising the severity of the situation and sticking to the rules.”
More than 7.9m people in England are currently living under Tier 3 restrictions, after Liverpool, Greater Manchester and large swathes of Yorkshire entered the highest alert level last week.
The tough restrictions mean a ban on household mixing both indoors and outdoors, with pubs and bars forced to shutter unless they serve a “substantial meal”.
Betting shops, adult gaming centres, casinos and soft play centres must also shut under Tier 3 restrictions.
A further 19.6m across England are living under Tier Two measures, meaning a ban on indoor household mixing.