No change for the North as more of Southern England enters Tier 3
The other areas moving up a Tier include Peterborough, Surrey (with the exception of Waverley), Hastings and Rother, and Portsmouth, Gosport and Havant.
Addressing Parliament this morning (17 December), Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the UK needed to remain vigilant as the country entered the colder months and that yesterday saw around 25,000 cases reported and that there are currently around 18,000 people in hospital.
“We’ve come so far. We mustn’t blow it now,” he said. “Nobody wants tougher restrictions any longer than necessary, but where they are necessary we must put them in place.”
According to the real estate adviser Altus Group, the Tier adjustments mean 51,852 pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes will be forced to close or remain closed in England (Tier 3) although sales by takeaway, click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services are permitted.
Just two areas have moved down a Tier. Bristol and North Somerset moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2 and Herefordshire will move from Tier 2 to Tier 1.
The news will come as an especially big blow to operators in Manchester, where cases have fallen below national averages.
The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) said that the announcement highlighted that the night time economy and hospitality sectors were bearing the burden so that other sectors are able to open during the festive period.
"The Government has compounded an already critical position within the night time economy and hospitality sector," said CEO Michael Kill.
"Thousands of businesses and employees have supported the Government's public health campaign against Covid, creating safe, regulated environments for people to socialise."
"This financial burden and commitment has been recognised only in lip-service, with insubstantial support measures to repay confidence in the sector.”
Earlier this week hospitality venues across London and parts of the South East were forced to close yet again as those areas move from Tier 2 to Tier 3.
