From Wednesday 2 December, the UK national lockdown ends but the Liverpool City Region (the local authority areas covering Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral) will then be placed in Tier 2 ‘High Alert’ of the Government’s alert system.
The Liverpool City Region went into the national lockdown on 5 November in Tier 3 ‘Very High Alert’, so the actions taken by residents and businesses over the last month has had a positive impact on our infection rates, resulting in the area now being placed in the Tier 2 category.
It’s really important that the efforts of everyone are maintained as the Tiers are being reviewed every two weeks, meaning if our figures start to increase, we could be placed in a higher category and with that, comes tighter restrictions.
What does Tier 2 mean?
Residents and businesses within Tier 2 must adhere to the following restrictions:-
- No household mixing in any indoor setting
- Rule of six applies outdoors – any social gatherings of more than six people is against the law
- Pubs and restaurants must close by 11pm – last orders will be called at 10pm
- Alcohol can only be served as part of a substantial meal
- Spectators are allowed at sports events and live performances (capacity will be limited and social distancing must be adhered to)
- Personal care, including hairdressers and barbers, is allowed
Why are these restrictions necessary?
We know that COVID-19 is easily transmitted from person to person and whilst our infection rates have been reducing, they are still too high.
Action needs to be taken to stop the spread of the virus within our communities and limiting interactions with other people as much as possible will help to contain the virus.
The restrictions are in place to protect not only yourself, but those around you.
The sooner we can contain the virus within our communities, the sooner we can get back to some sort of normality.
Remember if you, or anyone in your household, starts to experience symptoms, it is important that you isolate and book a test. The main COVID-19 symptoms are a high temperature, a new continuous cough and a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.
You can book a test online https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119.
Talking about today’s announcement Halton Borough Council Leader, Cllr Rob Polhill said: “Everyone across Halton is playing their part to get our infection rates down and that effort is clearly having an impact as we have come out of lockdown in a better position and in the Tier 2 alert level.
“By following the rules, we have seen a significant decrease in our infection rates across Halton and the Liverpool City Region and the mass testing programme in Liverpool is helping us to better understand the virus and, importantly, identify people who don’t have symptoms but have tested positive so that they can self-isolate and prevent the further spread of the virus.
“Whilst our figures are reducing, they are still too high but we have demonstrated that by following the rules, we can improve our infection rates here across the Liverpool City Region. This is a great achievement and one that we will continue to build on over the coming weeks and months.
Stop. Think. Do the right thing by continuing to follow the rules so that we can start to do and enjoy the things we once did and get back to some sort of normality sooner.”
The full list of Tier 2 restrictions is available on the Government’s website.