The government has just announced the the new tier system for England, highlighting which areas fall into which tier. Here’s all you need to know.
Lockdown 2 is set to end, as planned, on December 2, at which point England will move into a new three tier system. Find out below which tier your region falls into.
What are England’s three tiers of lockdown?
The government has announced that each area of England will now fall into one of three lockdown categories:
- Tier One – medium risk
- Tier Two – high risk
- Tier Three – very high risk
It’s interesting to note that no area is considered to be any safer than medium risk, which means it can’t be called a traffic light system (essentially, there’s no ‘green for go’). It also suggests everyone’s efforts over the summer were all for nothing, as we’re back where we started – and still without an adequate track and trace system.
Here’s what the new lockdown tiers mean for your area.
Which regions are in Tier One?
- Isle of Wight
- Cornwall
- Isles of Scilly
What is Tier One lockdown?
If your region is placed in Tier One lockdown, then you’ll need to adhere to the following rules:
- The ‘rule of six’ – You cannot not meet in a group of more than six people, indoors or outdoors, unless you’re in a larger household or a support bubble.
- 11pm curfews – Pubs, bars and restaurants in a Tier One area must be closed and have everyone out by 11pm (this is not a 11pm last orders).
Which regions are in Tier Two?
- Cumbria
- Liverpool City Region
- Warrington and Cheshire
- York
- North Yorkshire
- Worcestershire
- Herefordshire
- Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin
- Rutland
- Northamptonshire
- Suffolk
- Hertfordshire
- Cambridgeshire, including Peterborough
- Norfolk
- Essex, Thurrock and Southend on Sea
- Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes
- London – all 32 boroughs plus the City of London
- East Sussex
- West Sussex
- Brighton and Hove
- Surrey
- Reading
- Wokingham
- Bracknell Forest
- Windsor and Maidenhead
- West Berkshire
- Hampshire (except the Isle of Wight), Portsmouth and Southampton
- Buckinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- South Somerset, Somerset West and Taunton, Mendip and Sedgemoor
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Dorset
- Bournemouth
- Christchurch
- Poole
- Gloucestershire
- Wiltshire and Swindon
- Devon
What is Tier Two lockdown?
If your area is placed in Tier Two lockdown, the following rules apply:
- All Tier One rules – You must stick to the ‘rule of six’ and 10pm curfews.
- No meeting with people you don’t live with – You cannot meet indoors to socialise with people you don’t live, whether in private homes, pubs or restaurants.
It’s worth noting that you can carry on meeting people in your support bubble as before and informal childcare may also be provided for under 14s. And you can still meet friends and family outdoors, but in groups of no more than six people.
Which regions are in Tier Two?
- Hartlepool
- Middlesbrough
- Stockton-on-Tees
- Redcar and Cleveland
- Darlington
- Sunderland
- South Tyneside
- Gateshead
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- North Tyneside
- County Durham
- Northumberland
- Greater Manchester
- Lancashire
- Blackpool
- Blackburn with Darwen
- The Humber
- West Yorkshire
- South Yorkshire
- Birmingham and Black Country
- Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
- Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull
- Derby and Derbyshire
- Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
- Leicester and Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Slough (remainder of Berkshire is tier 2: High alert)
- Kent and Medway
- Bristol
- South Gloucestershire
- North Somerset
What is Tier Three Lockdown?
If your area is placed in Tier Three lockdown, which is the strictest of the tiers, then the following rules must be observed:
- All Tier One and Tier Two restrictions – You must stick to the ‘rule of six’ – both indoors and outdoors – and 10pm curfews.
- No indoor socialising – You cannot meet indoors with anyone who isn’t part of your support bubble, nor can you meet in certain outdoor locations. It’s also forbidden to meet in private gardens or pub gardens, but can meet in parks, beaches, countryside or forests, as long as you are not in a group of more than six.
- No travelling outside of your region – You must not travel outside of a Tier Three lockdown area other than for work, education, youth services or caring work.
- No access to gyms and leisure centres – All gyms and leisure centres are to close, but some organised outdoor sports may be given permission to go ahead.
- Only ‘food-based’ pubs can be open – Pubs must close unless they regularly serve ‘substantial meals’ and alcohol can only be served as part of a meal.
How conference calling can help if you’re hit by restrictions
If your area is hit the toughest restrictions, you may have to work from home (you may never have stopped working from home) – in which case, a conference call offers an easy way to hold meetings and keep in touch.
Our service enables you to connect to up to 100 participants on the one call, and we even have dial-in numbers for over 70 countries worldwide, to make international conference calling a piece of cake.
To get started, check out How to make a conference call – a complete guide to teleconferencing.
