UK Covid Tiers: rules for each area of England in Tier 1, 2 and 3, how to use postcode checker - and guidance explained

The rules are now ‘uniform’, meaning local authorities won’t be able to negotiate restrictions for their region
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The revised three-tier system that replaced England’s second national lockdown is now in effect.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced which areas would fall into which tier in Parliament on 26 November; on 17 December, he gave an update on some changes, and outline which local authorities in England will change tiers.

Here is everything you need to know.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced the tiers into which local authorities in England will be placed until mid-December (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced the tiers into which local authorities in England will be placed until mid-December (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced the tiers into which local authorities in England will be placed until mid-December (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

How does the revised tier system work?

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Under the original tier system, England was divided into Tier 1 (medium alert), Tier 2 (high alert) and Tier 3 (very high alert).

Areas in Tier 1 were subject to the same national measures that were in force nationally, including a 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants, and a ban on gatherings of more than six people.

Tier 2 areas saw a ban on household mixing indoors, but the rule of six continued to apply outdoors.

(Image: JPIMedia)(Image: JPIMedia)
(Image: JPIMedia)

Areas in Tier 3 were subject to the strictest rules, with household mixing banned indoors and in private gardens, and pubs and restaurants closed, unless they could operate as a restaurant.

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When England re-entered its tiered system on 2 December, the rules became “uniform”, meaning local authorities won’t be able to negotiate restrictions for their region.

What do the new tiers look like?

Areas placed into Tier 1 will be subject to the 10pm pub curfew, though customers will be given an extra hour to finish their food and drinks; last orders must still be called at 10pm.

The Government's website for people to determine which tier they will be in following lockdown crashed due to the volume of people attempting to access it (Photo: Trevor Adams - WPA Pool/Getty Images)The Government's website for people to determine which tier they will be in following lockdown crashed due to the volume of people attempting to access it (Photo: Trevor Adams - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The Government's website for people to determine which tier they will be in following lockdown crashed due to the volume of people attempting to access it (Photo: Trevor Adams - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

In Tier 2, pubs will only be able to serve alcohol as part of a “substantial meal”, and customers must stay within their household groups. This rule previously only applied in Tier 3.

Outside drinkers may also have to have a meal under the changes, and households will only be allowed to mix outdoors.

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As for the highest level, pubs, bars and restaurants in Tier 3 will have to close and will only be allowed to serve alcohol or meals as takeaway or delivery only. Households and bubbles will also not be allowed to mix indoors or outdoors until the Christmas break.

Indoor entertainment, hotels and other accommodation will also have to close in Tier 3 areas – cinemas will only be allowed to reopen for areas in Tier 1 and 2, and outdoor and indoor sports venues will only be able to welcome a “limited number” of spectators to events in the first two tiers.

Non-essential shops will likely stay open in all three tiers, along with hairdressers and gyms.

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This is everything you can and cannot do in Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 - rules ex...

Areas placed in Tier 3 will be offered support from NHS Test and Trace and the Armed Forces to deliver a six-week rapid community testing programme, making use of rapid lateral flow tests which give results within an hour.

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For more information on the incoming tiers, head to the Government’s website

The new tiers at a glance

Across all tiers:

- People can leave their homes for any purpose and can socialise in outdoor places, subject to the rule of six

- Collective worship and weddings can resume

- Shops and wider leisure facilities including gyms can reopen

New Tier 1 measures:

- People should work from home wherever possible

- Last orders at hospitality venues at 10pm, with curfew extended to 11pm

New Tier 2 measures:

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- Alcohol can only be served at hospitality venues as part of a substantial meal

- Last orders at hospitality venues at 10pm, with curfew extended to 11pm

New Tier 3 measures:

- Bars, restaurants and all hospitality venues will remain closed, except for takeaway and delivery

- Indoor entertainment and hotels will remain closed

Which areas are in which tiers?

The following areas will be moving tier from the beginning of Saturday 19 December:

Areas that will move from Tier 3 to Tier 2:

- Bristol

- North Somerset

Areas that will move from Tier 2 to Tier 1:

- Herefordshire

Areas that will move from Tier 2 to Tier 3:

- Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes

- Peterborough

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- Berkshire (all remaining local authorities that are currently still in Tier 2: Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell Forest, Windsor and Maidenhead, and West Berkshire)

- Buckinghamshire

- Hastings and Rother

- Gosport, Havant and Portsmouth

- Hertfordshire (all remaining local authorities currently still in Tier 2)

- Surrey (excluding Waverley)

Tier 1: Medium alert

South East

- Isle of Wight

- Cornwall

- Isles of Scilly

Tier 2: High alert

East of England

- Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (will move to Tier 3 from the beginning of Saturday 19 December)

- Cambridgeshire

- Some local authorities in Essex (Colchester, Tendring and Uttlesford)

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- Some local authorities in Hertfordshire (Dacorum, East Hertfordshire, North Hertfordshire, St Albans, Stevenage, Welwyn Hatfield) will move to Tier 3 from the beginning of Saturday 19 December

- Peterborough (will move to Tier 3 from the beginning of Saturday 19 December)

- Norfolk

- Suffolk

- East Midlands

- Northamptonshire

- Rutland

North West

- Cumbria

- Liverpool City Region

- Warrington and Cheshire

South East

- Brighton and Hove

- Berkshire (currently all of Berkshire except Slough is in Tier 2. From the beginning of Saturday 19 December, all of Berkshire will be in Tier 3)

- Buckinghamshire (will move to Tier 3 from the beginning of Saturday 19 December)

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- East Sussex (currently all of East Sussex is in Tier 2. From the beginning of Saturday 19 December, Hastings and Rother will move to Tier 3)

- Hampshire (currently all of Hampshire is in Tier 2. From the beginning of Saturday 19 December, Gosport, Havant and Portsmouth will move to Tier 3)

- Oxfordshire

- Surrey (all local authorities, excluding Waverley, will move to Tier 3 from the beginning of Saturday 19 December)

- West Sussex

South West

- Bath and North East Somerset

- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

- Devon, including Plymouth and Torbay

- Dorset

- Gloucestershire (Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud and Tewkesbury)

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- Somerset (South Somerset, Somerset West and Taunton, Mendip and Sedgemoor)

- Wiltshire and Swindon

West Midlands

- Herefordshire (will move to Tier 1 from the beginning of Saturday 19 December)

- Shropshire, and Telford and Wrekin

- Worcestershire

Yorkshire

- City of York

- North Yorkshire

Tier 3: Very High alert

East of England

- some local authorities in Essex (Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Epping Forest, Harlow, Maldon, Rochford, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock)

- some local authorities in Hertfordshire (Broxbourne, Hertsmere, Three Rivers and Watford)

East Midlands

- Derby and Derbyshire

- Leicester and Leicestershire

- Lincolnshire

- Nottingham and Nottinghamshire

London

- All 32 boroughs plus the City of London

North East

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- North East Combined Authority (this area includes the local authorities of County Durham, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland)

- North of Tyne Combined Authority (this area includes the local authorities of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland)

- Tees Valley Combined Authority (this area includes the local authorities of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees)

North West

- Greater Manchester

- Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen, and Blackpool

South East

- Kent and Medway

- Slough

South West

- Bristol (will move to Tier 2 from the beginning of Saturday 19 December)

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- North Somerset (will move to Tier 2 from the beginning of Saturday 19 December)

- South Gloucestershire

West Midlands

- Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton

- Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent

- Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull

Yorkshire and The Humber

- East Riding of Yorkshire

- Kingston upon Hull/Hull

- North East Lincolnshire

- North Lincolnshire

- South Yorkshire

- West Yorkshire

How can I check which tier I am in?

The Government has launched a postcode checker on its website for people to determine which tier they will be in following lockdown.

gov.uk/find-coronavirus-local-restrictions allows you to enter your location to find out the latest advice.