UK Covid tiers
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England COVID tiers: Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirms areas falling under highest restrictions after lockdown

Large parts of England will be under the new tier system

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The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, has confirmed which areas in England will fall under the strictest of the new COVID tiers.

Mr Hancock addressed the House Of Commons this morning (Thursday, November 26) to reveal more information about the tiered system.

Although the national lockdown ends on December 2, many areas will find themselves under continued restrictions before Christmas.

UK COVID tiers announced by Matt Hancock
Matt Hancock announced the tiers earlier today (Credit: YouTube)

Which areas find themselves in the highest UK COVID tiers?

Mr Hancock began with the North East of England, and announced Hartlepool, Middlesborough, Stockton-On-Tees, Redcar and Cleveland and Darlington.

Also in Tier Three in the North East are Sunderland, South Tyneside and Gateshead.

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Newcastle, North Tyneside, County Durham and Northumberland are likewise in the top tier.

The North West sees Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Blackpool and Blackburn and Darwen all under the strictest rules.

UK COVID tiers
Nottingham is one of the many places that will come under tier three (Credit: Google Maps)

Where else in the North falls under Tier Three?

Mr Hancock said that The Humber, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire fall under Tier Three.

Down into the West Midlands, Birmingham and the Black Country, Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent are also hit.

Similarly, Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull join the list.

Derby and Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, Leicester and Leicestershire, and Lincolnshire are also Tier Three.

Where in the South is in Tier Three?

Moving to the South of England, Slough, Kent and Medway are in Tier Three.

So are Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.

UK Covid tiers
Some businesses will have to remain closed (Credit: Pexels)

What does being tier three mean?

The new tiered system has been calculated based on case detection rates in all age groups, case detection rates in the over 60s and the rate at which cases are rising or falling.

Positivity rate (the number of positive cases detected as a percentage of tests taken) and pressure on the NHS have also been taken into consideration.

Tier three signals ‘very high alert’ and forbids people meeting “socially indoors or in most outdoor places with anybody you do not live with, or who is not in your support bubble, this includes in any private garden or at most outdoor venues.”

Read more: Sage expert urges Britons to skip Christmas and wait until Easter 2021 to celebrate with family

The rule of also six applies.

Hospitality businesses such as bars, restaurants and pubs will remain closed except for take-outs.

Mr Hanckock says the measures will be reviewed in a fortnight.

For a full list of the tier system and the rules for each one, go to the government website

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor