Is Leeds going into Tier 4 or staying in Tier 3? What we know so far as Matt Hancock set to announce tougher rules

Leeds will remain in Tier 3 lockdown, meaning it will not move down to Tier 2 in time for New Year - but has also escaped the tougher Tier 4
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More areas in England will be placed under the country’s toughest coronavirus restrictions, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons.

Pressure mounted on the government to act as hospitals across England warned of increasing strains on services due to Covid-19 patient numbers, which have reached their highest levels during the pandemic, while 51,135 further cases and 414 deaths were reported on Tuesday.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired a meeting of the Government’s Covid-19 Operations committee on Tuesday evening, when changes to the tier system were discussed.

Changes to tiers across England are set to be announced today (Image: PA Wire/Danny Lawson)Changes to tiers across England are set to be announced today (Image: PA Wire/Danny Lawson)
Changes to tiers across England are set to be announced today (Image: PA Wire/Danny Lawson)

Leeds is currently in Tier 3, the 'very high' coronavirus alert which prevents households from mixing indoors - and it will remain in Tier 3.

Bars and restaurants remain closed, but unlike in Tier 4 non-essential retail and personal care services are permitted to open.

Could Leeds move down to Tier 2 in future?

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But as the rate of new coronavirus infections is now rising it seems the government decided to play it safe.

With case rates rising in all regions of England, as well as the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals, any review is likely to involve areas moving up a tier rather than down.

Why didn't Leeds move up to Tier 4?

The infection rate in Leeds is far lower than in most Tier 4 areas in London and the South East, but it is rising.

The current infection rate is 189.8 new cases per 100,000 people. That’s up 33.1 per cent from last week.

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Comparatively, Brentwood has the highest rate in England with 1,258.1 new cases per 100,000 people.

Meanwhile Mid Suffolk, which is also in Tier 4, has a lower rate than Leeds at 174.2.

As well as infection rates, the Government takes other factors such as hospital admissions into consideration when reviewing tiers.

The latest figures from NHS England show there were 142 Covid-19 patients in Leeds hospitals as of December 22.

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This figure is far lower than last month - there were 331 Covid-19 patients in the city's hospitals on November 22.

The current infection rate and the number of coronavirus hospital patients suggests that Leeds is likely to remain in Tier 3 for now.

However, with the new super spreading variant of coronavirus arriving in Yorkshire, the Government could decide to move more areas into Tier 4 to prevent case numbers rising further uin .

What would Tier 4 measures mean for Leeds?

In Tier 4, you cannot meet other people indoors unless you live with them or they are part of your existing support bubble.

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Outdoors, you can only meet one person from another household in a public place.

You must stay at home and only leave for a specific purpose or if you have a “reasonable excuse”.

This includes going to work if it cannot be done from home, shopping for essentials such as food and medicine, attending education or training, using registered childcare, outdoor exercise and for medical reasons.

Non-essential retail must close, including clothing and homeware stores, betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops.

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However, these stores can continue to operate click-and-collect systems, if goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises, and delivery services.

You should not leave a Tier 4 area unless for permitted reasons, such as work, education, caring responsibilities, to visit a support bubble or for medical reasons, and someone from a Tier 1, 2 or 3 area should not enter a Tier 4 zone except for the same reasons.

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