No discussion about Tier 3 local lockdown say West Yorkshire council leaders in government talks

West Yorkshire is not heading into Tier 3 restrictions, say leadersWest Yorkshire is not heading into Tier 3 restrictions, say leaders
West Yorkshire is not heading into Tier 3 restrictions, say leaders
West Yorkshire councils are not planning to move to Tier 3 local lockdown restrictions any time soon - despite a rise in Covid cases.

A statement issued by the West Yorkshire Council leaders on Friday afternoon warned residents about 'the prevalence and spread of Covid' but stressed that there was 'no discussion' about moving to a higher alert level, which would be Tier 3 Very High. Currently, Leeds and West Yorkshire is in Tier 2, High.

The statement from West Yorkshire Council Leaders about the prevalence and spread of COVID-19 said: "Leaders of West Yorkshire Councils today met with Government about the prevalence and spread of COVID-19 in our region and have issued the following statement:

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“Today we held a discussion with senior Government officials, along with our Chief Executives and Directors of Public Health, about the prevalence and spread of COVID-19 in West Yorkshire. There was no discussion about moving to a higher alert level.

“We share the Government’s concerns that rates are rising in our areas, and our number one priority is to take the most effective action possible to tackle the virus, protect people and save lives.

"We repeated our call for more resources to implement effective local health measures to tackle the pandemic in our region, including local test and trace, community engagement, and more support for people to self-isolate.

“We need everyone to play their part to beat this virus. It is crucially important that everyone in West Yorkshire follows the current rules and guidance: in particular to follow the instructions on self-isolating to prevent the spread of infection.

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“The Government have asked us to meet them again early next week. We see this as an opportunity to set out the effectiveness of local measures, what further resources are needed to support local teams and businesses, and to review the latest health data.

“We expect the Government to engage in open, constructive discussions about how to tackle the virus without doing further damage to the economy, jobs and livelihoods.”

Earlier in the week, Leeds Council's chief executive Tom Riordan had stated in a meeting that Leeds was heading towards Tier 3 restrictions due to a rise in cases.

He said at the time: "This is a really pivotal moment for us again and there is a prospect that we could go into Tier 3.

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"What we've got to do is make sure we are doing everything that we can, collectively and individually, to make sure that we are getting on top of the virus, and we also expect, from what the Government has said, that we will have very much an equal conversation with them about what needs to happen and when."

Today, Lancashire was announced as moving into the highest Tier, Tier 3, alongside Liverpool.

Earlier this week York also moved into Tier 2, joining Leeds, Sheffield and West Yorkshire.

What is the difference between Tier 2 and Tier 3?

In Tier 2, the rules ban household mixing anywhere indoors including in pubs and restaurants, but mixing is allowed in gardens and outdoors as long as the Rule of 6 is followed.

The High Alert Tier 2 rules in Leeds are:

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- No household mixing indoors - that means homes AND pubs and restaurants. Any indoor setting.

- Mixing in gardens IS allowed as long as the rule of six is followed. This actually means that restrictions are slightly less strict than before for gardens.

- Curfew in bars and pubs remains at 10pm

- Pubs, bars and restaurants to stay open

- Social distancing must be obeyed at all times

- The Rule of Six remains so that groups of people must not exceed six people in pubs, bars, restaurants and gardens

There are some exceptions to the ban on household mixing - these are listed here.

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