UK Unveils COVID-19 Tier Restrictions With England Set To Leave Lockdown On Dec. 2

UK Unveils COVID-19 Tier Restrictions With England Set to Leave Lockdown on Dec. 2

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Thursday has set out the new COVID-19 alert level tier allocations in England that are set to enter force once the country's nationwide lockdown expires on December 2, with the cities of Manchester and Birmingham expected to be placed in tier 3, the highest tier with the strictest measures

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2020) UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Thursday has set out the new COVID-19 alert level tier allocations in England that are set to enter force once the country's nationwide lockdown expires on December 2, with the cities of Manchester and Birmingham expected to be placed in tier 3, the highest tier with the strictest measures.

"I'm so grateful for the resolve that people have shown throughout the crisis. Thanks to this shared sacrifice, we've been able to announce that we will not be renewing our national restrictions in England," Hancock said in parliament.

The health secretary said that cases were down 19 percent from a week ago and also stated that daily hospital admissions had fallen seven percent over the past week.

The recent developments will allow the government to return to its three-tiered COVID-19 alert system, which was originally introduced in October prior to the one-month nationwide lockdown, he stated.

"The majority of England will be in tier 2, but a significant number of areas, I'm afraid, need to be in tier 3 to bring case rates down," Hancock said.

The major cities of Manchester, Birmingham, and Nottingham, as well as the county of Kent, will all fall into tier 3 on December 2, according to guidance issued by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Under these measures, almost all household mixing is banned and hospitality venues, including restaurants and bars, must remain closed.

Hancock also announced that all tier 3 areas will be offered a community testing program, similar to the one launched in Liverpool when the northern city was placed in the highest tier in October.

The UK capital London and the city of Liverpool are among the locations that will fall into tier 2, which allows hospitality venues to remain open until 23:00 GMT and public gatherings of less than six people outside.

According to the Sky news broadcaster, 99 percent of the English population will be under tier 2 or tier 3 measures.

A month-long national lockdown entered into force in England on November 5 as the UK was registering roughly 25,000 new positive tests for COVID-19 per day. The rise in new cases has fallen since the tougher measures were introduced, as the Department of Health and Social Care registered 17,555 new positive tests on Thursday.

The UK's case total currently stands at 1.57 million and more than 66,700 deaths have taken place with COVID-19 listed on the death certificate.