It all ends in tiers
London enters Tier 2 restrictions as the government introduces a stricter post-lockdown tier system.
Photo by Kevin Grieve on Unsplash
A tougher three-tier system will be introduced today across England in the nation's "final push" before vaccinations become readily available next spring.
The government’s new proposals, now dubbed the Covid-19 Winter Plan, come into force today, on December 2, as England exits its current four-week lockdown.
The rules, introduced to manage local Covid-19 outbreaks and suppress the spread of infection, will be reviewed every two weeks and are expected to last until March, when vaccines will become available and mass testing will be ramped up.
All of London's 32 boroughs, including Camden where UCL is located, will be placed into the second tier of Covid-19 restrictions. Tier 2 prevents households from mixing indoors, although the rule of six will apply outdoors. Restaurants and pubs can open, but will not serve alcohol unless ordered with a "substantial" meal.
The new Tier 2 rules will allow a maximum of 2,000 supporters to attend sporting fixtures. This will include England's showdown against France at Twickenham in the final of the inaugural Autumn Nations Cup.
Before the official announcement, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, described the imposition of Tier 2 restrictions on the capital as both "right and sensible."
The capital is not the only area that will be placed in Tier 2 measures. Around 57 per cent of Brits will be forced to abide by “high” alert restrictions. A total of 32,000,000 people are estimated to be subject to these new restrictions. The counties of Essex, Surrey and Oxfordshire are three of 27 regions to be placed in Tier 2.
The lowest tier, a "medium" threat to Covid-19 exposure, also requires people to follow the rule of six outdoors, but allows the rule of six to apply indoors too. It asks people to "minimise" travel, but allows personal care industries to open and enables up to 4,000 spectators in sports stadiums.
Only 710,000 people, in Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly, have been placed into the "medium" threat bracket. This is down from the two-in-five people residing in Tier 1 areas before England’s second nationwide "lockdown" in early November.
Nonetheless, as London is in Tier 2, the capital's pubs and restaurants will benefit from the government's recent u-turn regarding the 10 p.m. curfew. Whilst pub-goers will only be able to socialise with those from inside their household or bubble, they will no longer be required to leave at 10 p.m. Instead, pubs and restaurants will close at 11 p.m.
Tier 3, which considers the Covid-19 threat as "very high," will close all pubs and restaurants except for takeaway services. It additionally bans households from mixing indoors or outside at hospitality venues, and would close indoor entertainment venues.
The number of people living in Tier 3 areas has grown exponentially, from around 8,500,000 to just over 23,000,000. Seventeen regions, including Kent, Greater Manchester and Nottinghamshire, will be placed in Tier 3 restrictions until the next review of lockdown rules on December 16.
This prompted the Tory MP for Ashford, Damian Green, to write in the Sunday Times that the imposition of Tier 3 rules on Kent was "nonsense on stilts." Green added that there was "an extraordinary divergence in Covid rates" across Kent and cited the village of Tenterden, where there are currently no active Covid-19 cases, as a prime example of this.
The government has also come under wider criticism for these proposed measures. For example, around 70 Tory MPs signed a letter by the Covid Recovery Group in opposition to the new measures. The letter stated that these MPs could not support the new tiered-approach until receiving evidence that such measures "will save more lives than they cost."
To quell a rebellion, Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent a letter to 364 MPs, stating that:
Regulations are subject to "sunset clause" on February 3,
Tiers will be reviewed every fortnight,
MPs will get another vote on tiered-restrictions in the New Year,
The government will publish any circumstances that may enable an area to enter a lower tier.
Tim Loughton, a former minister and the MP for East Worthing and Shoreham said that: "We asked for a lot of information and that letter doesn't contain it.” Loughton was joined by 54 other Tory MPs in voting against the government’s implementation of the new system in the Commons on December 1. However, the government won the vote with 292 votes in favour and just 78 against. The leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, demanded that the Labour Party abstained from the vote.
Nevertheless, many students are still expected to return to their family homes for the festive period, and the government recently announced that the "student travel window" for domestic students is between December 3 and 9.
Over the winter holidays, some Covid-19 rules will be relaxed, and Johnson stated: "I can't say that Christmas will be normal this year, but in a period of adversity time spent with loved ones is even more precious for people of all faiths and none."
Between December 24 and 28, people across the United Kingdom will be able to enjoy a five-day break from some Covid-19 rules. This will include three households mixing indoors between December 23 and 27.
The Health Secretary, Matthew Hancock, stated at a recent Downing Street press conference that this is "an approach that keeps people safe as well as recognising the importance of Christmas and the importance of seeing our loved ones over Christmas." However, Professor Calum Semple of the University of Liverpool has said that "there will be a price" for relaxing the rules over Christmas, and indicated that there may be tighter restrictions imposed in the future.
This article is published as part of The Commons Man series, written by Pi Media columnist Jack Walters.