As before, some businesses will be forced to close in regions which are in Tier 3 like Greater Manchester.
The new, tougher tier system will come into effect this week when the national lockdown ends on Wednesday, December 2nd.
The country found out which tier their region is on Thursday, and Greater Manchester – like most of the North of England – is being placed back into Tier 3 initially.
The Prime Minister announced on Monday: “So we’re not going to replace national measures with a free for all, the status quo anti-Covid, we’re going to go back instead to a regional tiered approach – applying the toughest measures where Covid is most prevalent.
“And while the previous local tiers did cut the ‘R’ number, they were not quite enough to reduce it below one.
“So the scientific advice, I’m afraid, is that as we come out our tiers need to be made tougher.”
When national restrictions end on 2 December we will return to a regional tiered approach in England.
In Tier 3, hospitality venues such as bars (including shisha venues), pubs, cafes and restaurants must remain closed.
They can continue business if they can offer sales via takeaway, click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services.
Hotels, B&Bs, campsites guest houses and other forms of accommodation must also shut. They can only remain open for one of a few exemptions such as if it provides main residence for some people or it is used for reasonably necessary work or education and training.
Indoor entertainment venues must close. This includes:
Indoor play centres and areas, including trampoline parks and soft play
Casinos
Bingo hall
Bowling alleys
Skating rinks
Amusement arcades and adult gaming centres
Laser quests and escape rooms
Cinemas, theatres and concert halls
Snooker halls.
We are launching a major community testing programme, offering local authorities in Tier 3 areas the opportunity to participate in a six week surge of community testing.https://t.co/HItLnoGvfWpic.twitter.com/V4L7vh41hR
Indoor attractions at mostly outdoor environments must also close.
This includes:
Zoos, safari parks, and wildlife reserves
Aquariums, visitor attractions at farms, and other animal attractions
Model villages
Museums, galleries and sculpture parks
Botanical gardens, biomes or greenhouses
Theme parks, circuses, fairgrounds and funfairs
Visitor attractions at film studios, heritage sites such as castles and stately homes
Landmarks including observation decks and viewing platforms
Leisure and sports facilities – such as gyms – can open, but group exercise classes (including fitness and dance) should not go ahead. Saunas and steam rooms must also stay closed.
All non-essential retail will also be allowed to reopen in the run up to Christmas, and essential shops and businesses like banks, opticians, dentists and garden centres – as well as education settings like schools – will remain open as they have during lockdown.
Hairdressers and personal care services will also be allowed to open in Tier 3 areas, unlike in the previous tier system.
Danielle Cerullo/Unsplash
The new rules across all tiers include:
Uniform set of rules, there will be no negotiations by different regions
Everyone should work from home if they can
Shops and personal care services can open
Early years settings, schools, colleges and universities remain open
Registered childcare, other supervised activities for children and childcare bubbles allowed
Indoor leisure – gyms and swimming – can open
Elite sport, under-18 sport and disabled sport can continue
Police will get new powers to close down premises breaking the rules
The rules for Tier 3:
No mixing of households indoors or most outdoor places – rule of six in outdoor spaces such as parks and sports courts
Hospitality venues closed, except for takeaway, drive-through or delivery
Indoor entertainment venues closed
Avoid travelling outside the area other than where necessary
No overnight stays outside local area, unless necessary for work, education or similar reasons
Accommodation closed (with limited exceptions such as work purposes)
Places of worship open but people cannot interact with anyone outside their household or support bubble
Weddings, civil partnerships and wakes can have 15 guests – but no wedding receptions allowed
Funerals can have 30 guests
Exercise classes and organised adult sport can take place outdoors, but avoid higher-risk contact activity
Group exercise and sports indoors should not take place, unless with household/bubble
Elite sporting events, live performances and large business events banned but drive-in events permitted.
