Plans for new three-tier local lockdown system emerge
10:23, 12 October 2020
updated: 15:59, 12 October 2020
New 'local lockdown' rules are expected to be announced later today - and will include a three-tier system.
It is hoped the new measures will curb the rising Covid-19 rates across England.
Different parts of the country will be split up into “medium”, “high” or “very high” local coronavirus alert areas under the new system, expected to be revealed by Boris Johnson in a press conference this afternoon.
It comes after the Prime Minister held a telephone conference with Cabinet colleagues yesterday to discuss the situation and ongoing negotiations with local leaders in the North of England - where infection rates are higher.
Latest figures for Kent show that in all areas but one there has been a rise in Covid-19 cases and several areas now meet the threshold for international travel restrictions.
The county saw 442 cases recorded in the seven days before October 2, up by 54% from 287 cases the previous week.
The county's infection rate stands at 23.77 - the highest it has been since May 28 (21.19) - up from 13.71 the previous week.
But while the cases are on the rise, hospital admissions are down - figures show the number of occupied beds has dropped to nine from 12 since September 3, with only a single person requiring a ventilator.
Here we look at what the different tiers will mean, and how it could affect the county.
What do the tiers mean?
The three tiers represent an advancing scale of local restrictions.
Tier one restrictions are thought to be the baseline restrictions in place across England, including a 10pm hospitality curfew and a ban on most gatherings of more than six people.
Tier two restrictions are expected to be similar to rules currently in place in Middlesbrough and parts of the North East, where indoor mixing of households is not allowed.
Two households may be allowed to meet in a private garden, as long as the rule of six and social distancing are followed.
Many details are yet to be confirmed but leaders in Liverpool said pubs and bars, betting shops, casinos, and gyms would close under the third “very high” tier restrictions, while reports also suggest people will have to avoid all non-essential travel and to not travel between areas.
Which areas may be placed into tier three?
It is not yet clear how an area will be placed into a tier, or to what extent regulations will be written and enforced locally.
However, Nottingham continues to have the highest rate in England, with 2,763 new cases recorded in the seven days to October 8 - the equivalent of 830.0 cases per 100,000 people.
This is a huge jump from 314.5 per 100,000 in the seven days to October 1.
Nottingham City Council expects a local lockdown to be imposed on Monday, with councils in the area asking residents to not mix with people outside of their households or bubbles.
New Statesman research reveals the places in Kent 'at risk' of lockdowns .
Using its "postcode checker" nine areas of the county are rated "high risk" for a lockdown including Ashford , Dover , Gravesend , Maidstone , Medway , Swale , Thanet and Tunbridge Wells .
This is based not just on the number of positive tests but also the week-on-week rise and while many of the "high risk" areas have seen a rise in cases, in some cases by more than 50% week-on-week, the number per 100,000 people is still far lower than in areas like Liverpool and Nottingham.
What happens next?
Many of the details of how the tiers and the specific measures in each area will be negotiated and enforced are currently unclear.
Today, the Prime Minister will chair a meeting of the Government’s COBRA committee to finalise what will be announced in Parliament.
He will later host a press conference at Downing Street where he will be joined by Chancellor Rishi Sunak and England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty.
Downing Street said MPs would be asked to debate and vote on the three-tier measures next week.
