What Tier 1 lockdown level means for East Yorkshire

PUBS and restaurants in East Yorkshire will have been biting their nails yesterday fearing they would be subjected to further crushing restrictions.

But, for now, both Hull and the East Riding have been placed on the lowest tier in the Government’s new lockdown system to tackle coronavirus.

Public health chiefs in Hull were always confident the city would be placed in Tier 1, which is the lowest tier, as the cases per 100,000 of the population have not gone above 100.

But the East Riding was seeing a higher rate, with fears it could be placed in Tier 2, which would have brought further restrictions.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to MPS in Parliament yesterday when he introduced a three-tier system of local Covid alert levels in England.

He confirmed the levels will be set at medium, high and very high and says this new system will be simpler and standardised

So what does Tier 1 mean for us in East Yorkshire?

In short, it is “as you were”. So it means:

■All business, such as pubs and restaurants, can continue to operate in a Covid-secure manner. Nightclubs remain closed however

■Those in hospitality will still need to remain closed between 10pm and 5am. Only food outlets providing deliver, click-and-collect and drive-thru can operate after this time.

■Schools, universities and places of worship can remain open.

■Weddings and funerals can still take place, but numbers are limited to 15 for weddings and 30 for funerals.

■The “rule of six”, which means people cannot meet in groups of more than six inside our outside, remains in place.

■Organised indoor sports and exercise classes can continue provided the “rule of six” is followed.

The “high” alert level has been introduced for many of the places already subject to lockdown restrictions, but they will now be consistent across the country.

This primarily aims to reduce household to household transmission by preventing all mixing between households or support bubbles indoors.

The Rule of Six will apply in outdoor spaces, including private gardens.

The “very high” alert level will apply where transmission rates are causing the greatest concern, based on an assessment of all the available data and the local situation.

This includes higher cases among older and more at-risk age groups, as well as the growth rate, hospital admissions and other factors.

In these areas, the Government will set a baseline of prohibiting social mixing indoors and in private gardens, with the Rule of Six allowed in open public spaces like parks and beaches.

Pubs and bars must close, and can only remain open where they operate as if they were a restaurant, which means serving substantial meals, like a main lunchtime or evening meal. They may only serve alcohol as part of such a meal.

People will be advised not to travel in and out of these areas.

Merseyside is one of the areas which has been placed in Tier 3.

The Government is working with local leaders in Tier 3 regions on how individual areas should go beyond these measures, which may include the closure of gyms, casinos and leisure centres.

Non-essential retail, schools and universities will remain open in all levels.