Leeds sees day on day Covid rate rise as city remains in Tier 3 and escapes Tier 4

On December 29, the Covid rate in Leeds was published as 189.8 cases per 100,000 people.

This is at a positivity rate of 7.3 per cent.

This represents a 2.7 per cent increase in case rates since the previous case rate figures, 184.8 per 100,000 people, were issued on December 27 with a positivity rate of 6.9 per cent.

This was the first set of data published since before Christmas, covering the seven-day period between December 16 and December 23.

The current rate is now up 33.1 per cent from last week.

CEO of Leeds City Council, Tom Riordan, tweeted on December 29: "Today’s nos for Leeds 189.8 per 100k (up from 185) and 7.3% positivity (up from 6.9%).

"Thank you for what you’re doing to keep infection rates down & please keep your distance, wash your hands, wear a mask indoors & follow the Tier 3 rules.

"Govt announcement re Tier review tmrw"

The Government's announcement of Tier changes comes as the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is approved in the UK for mass rollout.

The UK has ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine – enough to vaccinate 50 million people.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the approval of the Oxford vaccine was “fantastic news” and confirmed that the rollout would begin on January 4.

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

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

Leeds will remain in Tier 3:

The Government has moved more areas of England to Tier 4 today.Leeds and West Yorkshire will not be moving 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.

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.

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 suggested that Leeds was likely to remain in Tier 3 for now.

However, the new super spreading variant of coronavirus has arrived in Yorkshire.

What would Tier 4 measures have meant 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.

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.

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.