What are the Tier 3 COVID lockdown rules – and which areas are included?
Watch: Matt Hancock announces tier changes from Boxing Day
Some 25 million people across England will be under Tier 3 restrictions from Boxing Day.
On Wednesday, health secretary Matt Hancock announced a number of Tier 2 areas, mainly in the South West, would be moving to Tier 3. It means 44% of England’s population will be in this tier.
Up until Sunday, Tier 3 was the most severe. However, the government has introduced an even more restrictive Tier 4 in response to the “dangerous” spread of the new strain of coronavirus.
Below is a breakdown of the key Tier 3 rules, and the full list of areas in Tier 3...
Here are key guidelines people in Tier 3 areas must follow:
People are banned from indoor socialising with others they don’t live with or have a “support bubble” with. The ban also applies to outdoor socialising in private gardens
People are allowed to meet in groups of up to six – including others they don’t live with – in some outdoor public spaces including parks, beaches, public gardens, heritage sites, sports facilities and playgrounds
Bars and restaurants must close except for takeaway and delivery services
Accommodation such as hotels, bed and breakfasts, campsites and guest houses must close
Indoor entertainment venues, from casinos to cinemas, must close
Indoor attractions at mostly outdoor venues must close. This includes indoor attractions within zoos, safari parks, wildlife reserves, aquariums, farms, and theme parks
Gyms and sports facilities can continue to stay open for individual exercise or exercise among a household. Indoor group exercise classes cannot take place
Attendance at shows, performances or sporting events is not allowed
People can attend places of worship but, while inside, are not allowed to socialise with others they don’t live with
Up to 15 people can attend wedding ceremonies but receptions aren’t permitted. Up to 30 can attend funerals
Organised outdoor sport and physical activity can continue with any number of people, though people “should avoid contact in training”
For further information, here is the government’s full set of Tier 3 guidelines.
The following venues are allowed to open in Tiers 1, 2 and 3
Non-essential retail shops, as well as indoor and outdoor markets
Leisure centres, gyms, dance studios, golf courses, swimming pools, riding centres, outdoor playgrounds
Close contact personal care shops such as barbers and hairdressers, beauty salons, tattoo parlours, nail salons, spas and beauty services, massage parlours and tanning salons
Public buildings such as libraries and community centres
These are the areas of England in Tier 3 as of 26 December:
East Midlands
Derby and Derbyshire
Leicester City
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Northamptonshire
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
North East
North East Combined Authority (this area includes the local authorities of County Durham, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland)
North of Tyne Combined Authority (this area includes the local authorities of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland)
Tees Valley Combined Authority (this area includes the local authorities of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees)
North West
Greater Manchester
Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen, and Blackpool
Warrington and Cheshire
South East
Isle of Wight
New Forest local authority in Hampshire
South West
Bristol
North Somerset
Somerset (South Somerset, Somerset West and Taunton, Mendip and Sedgemoor)
Gloucestershire (Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud and Tewkesbury)
Swindon
South Gloucestershire
West Midlands
Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
Warwickshire,
Coventry
Solihull
Yorkshire and The Humber
The Humber: East Riding of Yorkshire
Kingston upon Hull/Hull
North East Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
South Yorkshire (Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotheram, Sheffield)
West Yorkshire (Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield)
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