An even harsher tier of Covid-19 regulations could be brought in for people living in England if the current system doesn't make enough impact, according to reports.
Discussions over a Tier 4 are said to be in the works amid concerns the current tier system in England is not going far enough to being the R rate below one before Christmas.
That is according to inews who are reporting the extra tier could see the closure of restaurants and non-essential retail such as clothes shops.
Since October 12, England has been operating under a three-tier system of local restrictions which divides areas into different categories, labelled as medium, also known as Tier 1, high, also known as Tier 2, or very high risk, which is referred to as Tier 3.
Sources have reportedly told the publication that a decision could be made by the middle of November, when there is a clearer picture of the system's effectiveness.
Boris Johnson has previously rejected the idea of another “national lockdown”.
The Prime Minister said: “I think that that really would be economically, socially, psychologically really very damaging and difficult for the country.”
So where Tier 3 restrictions fail to make enough impact, circuit breaker lockdowns could be imposed at a local level, the publication is repoirting.
What are the rules of the three-tier system and what areas do they cover?
What happens if your area is in Tier 3?
Around 2.8 million people in Greater Manchester joined some 3.1 million in Lancashire and the Liverpool City Region already under the most severe restrictions in the early hours of Saturday.
In these areas, social mixing is banned both indoors and in private gardens, while pubs and bars must close unless they can operate as a restaurant.
The rule of six applies in some outdoor settings such as parks, public gardens and sports courts.
Local leaders help the Government to determine whether other venues should be closed, such as gyms or casinos.
In Greater Manchester, the new measures could lead to the closure of more than 1,800 pubs and 140 wine bars, as well as 277 betting shops and 12 casinos, according to the real estate adviser Altus Group.
In the Liverpool City Region, indoor gyms and fitness studios were forced to shut, alongside sports facilities, leisure centres, betting shops, adult gaming centres and casinos.
Gyms in Merseyside are now allowed to reopen in line with other areas under the toughest local lockdown restrictions.
Gyms remain open in Lancashire but the adult gaming industry, casinos, bingo halls, bookmakers and betting shops, and soft play areas were made to shut.
Shops and places of worship can remain open, as can schools and colleges, while universities must reflect wider restrictions with the option to move to greater online provision.
Up to 15 guests are allowed at weddings and 30 people can attend funerals, with 15 allowed at wakes, but wedding receptions are not permitted.
People living in Tier 3 areas are advised against overnight stays in other parts of the UK and should avoid travel where possible in and out of the area, unless it is for work, education or caring responsibilities.
Number 10 confirmed that, under Tier 2 and 3 rules on household mixing, people can still meet up for work meetings indoors under certain circumstances.
What happens in Tier 2 and where is affected?
Areas categorised as high risk have restrictions on household mixing indoors while the rule of six continues to apply outdoors.
People must not meet socially with friends and family indoors in any setting unless they live with them or have formed a support bubble with them.
Up to 15 guests are allowed at weddings and up to 30 people allowed at funerals, with 15 allowed at receptions and wakes.
Shops, gyms, all education settings, and places of worship can remain open, with overnight stays permitted.
Travel advice for those living in Tier 2 areas is to reduce the number of journeys they take where possible and avoid travel into very high Tier 3 areas.
Areas in Tier 2 include Cheshire, Derbyshire, West Yorkshire, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Tees Valley, West Midlands, and Leicestershire.
London, Essex, Elmbridge, Barrow-in-Furness, York, North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield and Erewash moved to Tier 2 last Saturday.
First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford confirmed a two-week “firebreak” lockdown in the country from Friday until November 9, and those living under Tiers 2 and 3 in England were already banned from travelling across the Welsh border from Friday last week.
What restrictions are placed on areas in Tier 1?
Areas classed as medium risk, those in Tier 1, are subject to the same national measures which were commonplace across England earlier this year.
These include the 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants and a ban on most gatherings of more than six people.
Up to 15 guests will be allowed at weddings and up to 30 people allowed at funerals, with 15 allowed at receptions and wakes.
Shops, gyms, all education settings, and places of worship will remain open, with overnight stays permitted and no travel restrictions within the area, although people are advised to avoid travel into Tier 3 areas where possible.
There is currently a Wales-wide circuit breaker, or firebreak lockdown.
The 17-day series of measures, which include a ban on the sale of non-essential goods in shops allowed to remain open, came into force at 6pm on Friday and will last until November 9.
People can only leave their home for limited reasons, such as to buy food and medicine, provide care or take exercise, and they must work from home where possible.
All non-essential retail, leisure, hospitality and tourism businesses are closed, along with community centres, libraries and recycling centres, while places of worship are shut other than for funerals or wedding ceremonies.
On Saturday, Mr Gething told BBC Breakfast that scientists believed the lockdown would reduce the R value – the number of people each coronavirus case infects – to below one.
This would lead to a “national reset” of coronavirus spread, with a new set of measures being brought in across Wales after November 9.
Meanwhile, a scientist has warned that ministers may be forced to close schools to older children if coronavirus cases continue to increase at the current rate.
Professor Neil Ferguson, whose modelling led to the original lockdown in March, said the NHS would soon be unable to cope unless the spread of the disease was stemmed.
He said there were currently 8,000 people in hospital with coronavirus – around a third of the peak earlier this year – and that numbers were continuing to rise.
“It is a worrying situation,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
“If the rate of growth continues as it is it means that in a month’s time we will above that peak level in March and that is probably unsustainable.
“We are in a critical time right now. The health system will not be able to cope with this rate of growth for much longer.”
Prof Ferguson said it would be another week or two before it became clear whether the stricter measures would have an impact on case numbers.
He said the restrictions on households mixing should have a “significant effect”, but added it may not be enough and further action may be needed.
“If we go beyond that there is a limit to what we can do in terms of reducing contacts, short of starting to target, for instance, the older years in schools and sixth form colleges where we know older teenagers are able to transmit as adults.
“Of course, nobody wants to start moving to virtual education and closing schools even partially. The challenge may be that we are not able to get on top of the transmission otherwise.”
Boris Johnson is determined to avoid schools closing again because of the damaging effect on children’s well-being and education.
However Prof Ferguson said that while there has been a slowdown in infections among 18 to 21-year-olds they were continuing to rise in other age groups.
Ministers have said they hope the latest restrictions in England will slow the disease sufficiently to enable families to spend Christmas together.
Prof Ferguson said the Government would have to assess the balance of risks when it came to deciding whether that was possible.
“It risks some transmission and there will be consequences of that. Some people will die because of getting infected on that day,” he said.
“But if it is only one or two days the impact is likely to be limited. So that is really a political judgment about the cost versus the benefits.”
The latest figures suggest the number of new daily cases across England doubled in a fortnight – although some scientists have said the rate of spread may be slowing.
The Office for National Statistics infection survey estimated there was an average of 35,200 new cases per day in the community in England between October 10 and 16.
That was up 26% from an estimated 27,900 per day for the period from October 2 to 8 and just over double the 17,200 per day from September 25 to October 1.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said the reproduction number, or R value, for the whole of the UK had nudged down to between 1.2 and 1.4. Last week it put the figure at between 1.3 and 1.5.
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2020-10-24 16:37:00Z
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