A tiered system for controlling the spread of coronavirus has been unveiled for the UK today.
Addressing Parliament today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled a new series of measures designed to slow the worryingly-increasing spread of coronavirus around the UK once more. With cases soaring across the nation at levels not seen since the early days of the pandemic back in March, a new three-tier system – with puts each region of the UK on a medium, high, or very high alert – will come into effect on Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know:
Rumoured for a couple of weeks now, the three-tiered system splits the regions into medium alert, or Tier 1, high alert (Tier 2), and very high alert (Tier 3). The system is supposed to replace the often piecemeal local restrictions which had been rolled out in areas where cases were rising, and is intended as an immediately understandable shorthand for knowing the restrictions in place in your area – Johnson noted that it was meant to simplify the rules locally, as the rule of six did nationally.
At Tier 1, there will be a 10pm curfew on bars and restaurants and a ban on gatherings of more than six people. (As you might have noticed, this is what the whole country has been dealing with for the past few weeks, meaning that very little will change for people living in Tier 1 regions.)
At Tier 2, there are bans on indoor household mixing, with only outdoor gatherings of up to six permitted, and pubs serving food will be allowed to remain open. It’s designed to be triggered when the rate of infection reaches 100 per 100,000 people, and local restrictions are no longer working. This is the level at which London is widely expected to slot in – though official word on this is yet to arrive – and cities such as Birmingham and Manchester are already confirmed to be at Tier 2. Most areas already subject to local restrictions will automatically be put on this level, Johnson revealed.
Finally, the most serious threat level is Tier 3, where pubs, restaurants and gyms will close, non-essential travel could be banned, and there will be bans on households or bubbles mixing in any setting – it’s planned for when cases are significantly higher than 100 per 100,000 people. Amongst UK cities, Liverpool (where cases are now reportedly at 600 per 100,000 people) has become the first to see Tier 3 restrictions, which will begin on Wednesday.
Referring to the prospect of a second national lockdown, akin to the one we saw in March, Johnson said “I do not believe that would be the right course”. Similarly, he rejected calls to “let the virus rip” through society and loosen restrictions in the pursuit of possible ‘herd immunity’, but admitted that “we need to go further” in controlling the spread of the virus, hence the new system of tiers. Johnson confirmed that exact regulations for alert levels are being laid today, and will be debated and voted on in Parliament tomorrow, before coming into force on Wednesday. He also stated that areas put on the higher alert levels will see more support for local test and trace, along with support from armed services if needed.
Whilst the status of Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester has already been decided, Johnson revealed that people in areas without a currently set alert level will be able to discover their local level by performing a postcode search on gov.uk, or on the NHS Covid app – these will presumably be available once the system comes into effect on Wednesday. We’ll keep you updated with further news on the alert system and any further practices in the fight against coronavirus, but for now, keep washing your hands, keeping your distance, and sticking to groups of six and under.