It has been announced which areas of England will fall under the revised three-tier system that will replace the current national lockdown when it ends on 2 December. Health Secretary Matt Hancock made the announcement in Parliament today (26 November) alongside a written ministerial statement, in which he revealed the tiers into which local authorities in England will be placed until mid-December. Ahead of the announcement, reports suggested very few areas in England would be placed into Tier 1, the most lenient of the three bands of restrictions. So what tier is your region going to be in? Here is everything you need to know. How does the revised tier system work? Under the original tier system, England was divided into Tier 1 (medium alert), Tier 2 (high alert) and Tier 3 (very high alert). Areas in Tier 1 were subject to the same national measures that were in force nationally, including a 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants, and a ban on gatherings of more than six people. Tier 2 areas saw a ban on household mixing indoors, but the rule of six continued to apply outdoors. Areas in Tier 3 were subject to the strictest rules, with household mixing banned indoors and in private gardens, and pubs and restaurants closed, unless they could operate as a restaurant. When England re-enters its tiered system on 2 December, the rules will be “uniform”, meaning local authorities won’t be able to negotiate restrictions for their region. What do the new tiers look like? Areas placed into Tier 1 will be subject to the 10pm pub curfew, though customers will be given an extra hour to finish their food and drinks; last orders must still be called at 10pm. In Tier 2, pubs will only be able to serve alcohol as part of a “substantial meal”, and customers must stay within their household groups. This rule previously only applied in Tier 3. Outside drinkers may also have to have a meal under the changes, and households will only be allowed to mix outdoors. As for the highest level, pubs, bars and restaurants in Tier 3 will have to close and will only be allowed to serve alcohol or meals as takeaway or delivery only. Households and bubbles will also not be allowed to mix indoors or outdoors until the Christmas break. Indoor entertainment, hotels and other accommodation will also have to close in Tier 3 areas – cinemas will only be allowed to reopen for areas in Tier 1 and 2, and outdoor and indoor sports venues will only be able to welcome a “limited number” of spectators to events in the first two tiers. Non-essential shops will likely stay open in all three tiers, along with hairdressers and gyms. Areas placed in Tier 3 will be offered support from NHS Test and Trace and the Armed Forces to deliver a six-week rapid community testing programme, making use of rapid lateral flow tests which give results within an hour. For more information on the incoming tiers, head to the Government’s website The new tiers at a glance Across all tiers: People can leave their homes for any purpose and can socialise in outdoor places, subject to the rule of sixCollective worship and weddings can resumeShops and wider leisure facilities including gyms can reopen New Tier 1 measures: People should work from home wherever possibleLast orders at hospitality venues at 10pm, with curfew extended to 11pm New Tier 2 measures: Alcohol can only be served at hospitality venues as part of a substantial mealLast orders at hospitality venues at 10pm, with curfew extended to 11pm New Tier 3 measures: Bars, restaurants and all hospitality venues will remain closed, except for takeaway and deliveryIndoor entertainment and hotels will remain closed Which areas are in which tiers? Only three regions have been placed into Tier 1, the lowest tier: they are the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The rest of the tiers are as follows: Tier 2: High alert North West CumbriaLiverpool City RegionWarrington and Cheshire Yorkshire YorkNorth Yorkshire West Midlands WorcestershireHerefordshireShropshire and Telford & Wrekin East Midlands RutlandNorthamptonshire East of England SuffolkHertfordshireCambridgeshire, including PeterboroughNorfolkEssex, Thurrock and Southend on SeaBedfordshire and Milton Keynes London all 32 boroughs plus the City of London South East East SussexWest SussexBrighton and HoveSurreyReadingWokinghamBracknell ForestWindsor and MaidenheadWest BerkshireHampshire (except the Isle of Wight), Portsmouth and SouthamptonBuckinghamshireOxfordshire South West South Somerset, Somerset West and Taunton, Mendip and SedgemoorBath and North East SomersetDorsetBournemouthChristchurchPooleGloucestershireWiltshire and SwindonDevon Tier 3: Very High alert North East Tees Valley Combined Authority:HartlepoolMiddlesbroughStockton-on-TeesRedcar and ClevelandDarlington North East Combined Authority: SunderlandSouth TynesideGatesheadNewcastle upon TyneNorth TynesideCounty DurhamNorthumberland North West Greater ManchesterLancashireBlackpoolBlackburn with Darwen Yorkshire and The Humber The HumberWest YorkshireSouth Yorkshire West Midlands Birmingham and Black CountryStaffordshire and Stoke-on-TrentWarwickshire, Coventry and Solihull East Midlands Derby and DerbyshireNottingham and NottinghamshireLeicester and LeicestershireLincolnshire South East Slough (remainder of Berkshire is tier 2: High alert)Kent and Medway South West BristolSouth GloucestershireNorth Somerset How can I check which tier I am in? The Government has launched a postcode checker on its website for people to determine which tier they will be in following lockdown. gov.uk/find-coronavirus-local-restrictions allows you to enter your location to find out the latest advice. However, at the time of writing, the website appears to have crashed due to the volume of people attempting to access it, with many people checking being faced with the message: “Sorry, we’re experiencing technical difficulties.” A version of this article originally appeared on our sister title, the Yorkshire Evening Post
