Coronavirus: Lockdown ends as 99 percent of England enters strictest tier 2 and 3 measures
ENGLAND has come out of the other end of its second national coronavirus lockdown, and is now under a tiered system stricter than the one before.
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It is thought 99 percent of the country is now under either tier 2 or tier 3 restrictions, Sky News reports. It means households will be unable to mix indoors nearly everywhere in the country, but thousands of non-essential shops will be re-opening.
Most people in England – roughly 32 million – have fallen under tier 2 restrictions.
Additionally, 23.3 million people have been placed under the harshest tier 3 measures.
Only those who live in Cornwall or on the Isle of Wight and Isle of Scilly have been placed into Tier 1.
The new rules have come into force after successfully being passed by MPs yesterday.
The measures were approved by 291 votes to 78, meaning there was a majority of 213.
Despite the rules being passed, more Tories rebelled against these new measures than they did against the introduction of the nationwide lockdown in November.
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It suggests Prime Minister Boris Johnson has to overcome a hurdle in getting more of his own party on side, analysts say.
Last month, scores of Tory rebels formed the Covid Recovery Group of MPs, which has called on the Prime Minister to provide evidence justifying the new restrictions.
A Government spokesman said: “We will continue to work with MPs who have expressed concerns in recent days.”
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They added the new measures would “help to safeguard the gains made during the last month”.
The most recent official figures for the UK show 13,430 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded yesterday, with 603 daily deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
The seven-day case number is currently 105,576 – down 22,486 from the previous seven days.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned: “The next few weeks and months are the busiest time of year for our NHS, so it's vital we all continue to follow new local restrictions, wash our hands, wear a face covering and observe social distancing.”
Under tiers 1 and 2, hospitality venues such as pubs and restaurants can reopen.
In tier 2, people may only sit indoors if they are with members of their own household, and can only buy alcohol if they also buy a ‘substantial meal’.
A lack of clarity over this rule has led to at least one tongue-in-cheek joke. In Brighton, Caxton Arms landlord Brett Mendoza introduced a new draught beer called ‘substantial meal’.
He told local newspaper the Brighton Argus that it was “a joke”, but the image has been shared widely on social media.
Gyms are also permitted to reopen in both tier 2 and tier 3.
Meanwhile, shops around the country are cutting prices in order to clear stock in what the British Retail Consortium has called a “deepening” crisis on the high street.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said: “As we approach Christmas, consumers will be glad to see another month of falling prices.”