What does it mean for YOUR area?
Three alert levels will show virus threat in each area... and dictate which local restrictions apply
ENGLAND was last night divided into tiers, under a new Government system setting out the local virus risk.
Areas will now be categorised as being on medium, high or very high alert levels, with the severity of curbs dependent on what the local status is.
Speaking in the Commons, Boris Johnson admitted the wide variation in restrictions across the nation over the past few months had been causing increasing confusion.
The rules had become “complex to understand and enforce”, he said.
Exp er t s went further, saying that the regime was causing chaos and hampe r i ng the battle against the killer disease.
In some cases, it had been giving people an excuse to ignore restrictions because they could claim they were simply baffled by what they could and couldn’t do.
After weeks of speculation, the Prime Minister finally unveiled the long-awaited tiered regime.
Mr Johnson believes it will “simplify and standardise our local rules”, boosting the fight against the virus.
The need for tougher action is undeniable.
Cases have been surging though it is unfair to compare the current spike in positive tests with the first wave, as testing capacity is much greater now so inevitably more cases will be uncovered. Deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam likened the situation to comparing “apples and pears” but said there is no doubt the second wave is under way.
Hospitals in the worst-hit areas are under mounting pressure and there is evidence of cases spreading from the North, through the Midlands and into the South.
In deciding which areas go into which tiers, ministers, advisers and health chiefs take into account a range of criteria.
They include the number of cases per 100,000 people; the crucial “R” rate – showing how many people an infected person is likely to transmit the virus to – hospital admissions and whether clusters of cases can be blamed on a particular business, university or other institution, rather than being widespread in the community at large. The measures imposed on an area will be reviewed every four weeks, though that does not stop a community being shifted from one tier to a higher tier before the review is due.
A checker on the gov. uk website allows people to type in their postcode and learn what curbs are in place in their area.
These restrictions are likely to govern what we can and can’t do through much of the autumn and winter. Here we explain what they mean for you...