Covid tiers revealed: London in Tier 2 but Birmingham, Manchester in Tier 3

26 November 2020, 17:29

London and Liverpool will enter Tier 2 of England's new covid system and Birmingham and Manchester will be in Tier 3, it has been confirmed.

The only areas to end up in Tier 1 are Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, and the Isle of Wight.

Teignbridge - which has the lowest Covid-19 rate in England at 52.9 per 100k - has been placed in Tier 2.

Large swathes of the Midlands, North East and North West are in the most restrictive Tier 3, but London will be in Tier 2.

Liverpool, which had been in Tier 3 before the lockdown, will move to Tier 2 in recognition of efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said "these are not easy decisions, but they have been made according to the best clinical advice".

New Covid restrictions: Who is in what tier and what does it mean?

He told MPs: "Thanks to the shared sacrifice of everyone in recent weeks, in following the national restrictions, we have been able to start to bring the virus back under control and slow its growth, easing some of the pressure on the NHS.

"We will do this by returning to a regional tiered approach, saving the toughest measures for the parts of the country where prevalence remains too high."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said many councils being put into the toughest two Tiers was "necessary" to control the virus.

He admitted "many other areas" want to be in Tier 1, and added he hoped they would be able to "soon",

Mr Hancock added:  "The sooner people stick to the rules, the quicker that will happen.

What you need to know about new coronavirus tier restrictions

The news of which areas were in which tiers was first revealed on the Government postcode checker, almost 15 minutes before Mr Hancock announced it to the House of Commons.

However, the site almost immediately crashed.

Commons Leader Sir Lindsay Hoyle said it is "not acceptable" that news was revealed in the media before Parliament.

Labour's shadow Commons leader Valerie Vaz said: "At 11.14am it was announced that you could find out which tier you were in via a journalist rather a statement to the House," adding: "I think this is an absolutely appalling way to treat Parliament."

Sir Lindsay replied: "This House should be informed first we keep telling the Government that is the way that good government should treat and respect this chamber. It is not acceptable to put it online.

"The only good thing about the Government is it's crashed so it's not helpful, so might be that we do get the statement first."

See what Tier your area is in here: How to check your area's Covid-19 alert level and restrictions

What are the tier 2, high alert, rules and restrictions?

Schools restaurants and pubs will be open under Tier 2, but becomes a little more difficult.

Social bubbles and households must not mix indoors but the rule of 6 can still apply outside.

Gyms and shops will also be permitted to be open.

What are the tier 3, very high alert, rules and restrictions?

These are the toughest of restrictions set in place in England and will mean pubs and bars must remain shut unless a main meal is served, wedding receptions banned and no mixing of households or bubbles.

The rule of six outside applies and it will be determined by local authorities whether gyms, leisure centres and certain other businesses can reopen.

Unnecessary travel and overnight stays are also strongly advised against.

More to follow...

A full list of the Tiers

Tier 1: Medium alert

South East
Isle of Wight
South West
Cornwall
Isles of Scilly

Tier 2: High alert

North WestCumbria
Liverpool City Region
Warrington and Cheshire
Yorkshire
York
North Yorkshire
West Midlands
Worcestershire
Herefordshire
Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin
East Midlands
Rutland
Northamptonshire
East of EnglandSuffolk
Hertfordshire
Cambridgeshire, including Peterborough
Norfolk
Essex, Thurrock and Southend on Sea
Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes
London
all 32 boroughs plus the City of London
South East
East Sussex
West Sussex
Brighton and Hove
Surrey
Reading
Wokingham
Bracknell Forest
Windsor and Maidenhead
West Berkshire
Hampshire (except the Isle of Wight)
Portsmouth and Southampton
Buckinghamshire
Oxfordshire
South West
South Somerset
Somerset West and Taunton
Mendip and Sedgemoor
Bath
North East Somerset
Dorset
Bournemouth
Christchurch
Poole
Gloucestershire
Wiltshire and Swindon
Devon

Tier 3: Very High alert

North East
Tees Valley Combined Authority:
Hartlepool
Middlesbrough
Stockton-on-Tees
Redcar and Cleveland
Darlington
North East Combined Authority:
Sunderland
South Tyneside
Gateshead
Newcastle upon Tyne
North Tyneside
County Durham
Northumberland
North West
Greater Manchester
Lancashire
Blackpool
Blackburn with Darwen
Yorkshire and The Humber
The Humber
West Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
West Midlands
Birmingham and Black Country
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
Warwickshire
Coventry and Solihull
East Midlands
Derby and Derbyshire
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
Leicester and Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
South East
Slough (remainder of Berkshire is tier 2: High alert)
Kent and Medway
South West
Bristol
South Gloucestershire
North Somerset