Greater Manchester plunged back into Tier 3 – what are the new rules?

Greater Manchester’s residents will emerge from a month of full national lockdown and be placed straight back into a tightened set of Tier 3 rules, health secretary Matt Hancock has announced.

The new tougher Tier 3 restrictions mean that restaurants and bars will only be allowed to serve takeaways across Greater Manchester, hotels must close with limited exceptions and no indoor entertainment is allowed including theatres and will be in effect until at least December 16th.

It fuels fears the hospitality industry across the region will be decimated – at what should have been its busiest time in the festive run-in.

Coronavirus infection rates have been decreasing across all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester since the national lockdown – but it has not been deemed to a satisfactory level to allow the region to be in a lower tier at this stage.

All retail settings will be allowed to reopen from December 2nd, as will hairdressers and personal services, but indoor entertainment venues like casinos, bowling alleys and theatres, must remain closed.

It remains the case across all three tiers that everyone should work from home wherever possible.

While all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester faces the toughest restrictions, neighbouring Cheshire and Liverpool have been placed into Tier 2, which means restaurants and pubs serving food can reopen from December 2nd.

What are the new Tier 3 rules?

This is a very high alert area – and it means there is to be no mixing of households indoors, or most outdoor places, apart from support bubbles. You can still meet in a group of a maximum of six people in some outdoor public settings – like a park, sports courts or public gardens.

Hospitality must remain CLOSED – with the exception of sales by takeaway, drive-thru or delivery. Hotels must also close, except for limited exceptions such as work purposes.

All retail settings and personal care services can open.

Residents in a Tier 3 area must avoid travelling outside of the area unless for essential reasons, eg, work, medical care, education or for care responsibilities. No overnight stays are permitted outside of the local area unless necessary for work or education.

Weddings and civil partnerships can go ahead with 15 guests, funerals with up to 30, but wedding receptions are not permitted.

Gyms can reopen – but group exercise and sports indoors should NOT take place unless with household or bubble. Organised activities for elite sports, under-18s and disabled people can continue.

Who is in Tier 3?

North West

Blackburn

Blackpool

Greater Manchester

Lancashire

North East

Tees Valley Combined Authority – Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar and Cleveland, Darlington

North East Combined Authority – Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sunderland, South Tyneside, Durham, Gateshead, Northumberland

Yorkshire and the Humber

The Humber

West Yorkshire

South Yorkshire

West Midlands

Birmingham and Black Country

Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent

Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull

East Midlands

Derby and Derbyshire

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire

Leicester and Leicestershire

Lincolnshire

South East

Slough

Kent

South West

Bristol

South Gloucestershire

North Somerset

What are the Tier 2 rules?

In this high alert level, there is to be no mixing of households indoors, apart from support bubbles.  But you can still meet people in outdoor settings up to a maximum of six.

Restaurants can open but only pubs serving food can remain open.  Hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with substantial meals.  And there’s a change in the previous 10pm curfew – as now last orders will be called at 10pm but venues do not have to close until 11pm.

All retail can reopen, and all personal care businesses like beauty salons and hairdressers.

Residents here are urged to reduce the number of journeys made, and to avoid travel into Tier 3 areas except where necessary for work, education or medical attention.

Overnight stays are permitted with household members or support bubble and hotels can reopen.

Gyms can reopen, but classes cannot take place indoors if there is interaction between households

Places of worship can open but people must not interact with anyone outside of their household.  Weddings and civil partnerships can take place with up to 15 guests and funerals with up to 30 guests – wedding receptions and wakes can take place but with a maximum of 15 guests.

Who is in Tier 2?

North West

Cheshire (including Warrington)

Cumbria

Liverpool

Yorkshire

York

North Yorkshire

West Midlands

Worcestershire

Herefordshire

Shropshire and Telford

East Midlands

Rutland

Northamptonshire

East of England

Suffolk

Hertfordshire

Cambridgeshire

Norfolk

Essex, Thurrock and Southend

London – all 32 boroughs

South East

East Sussex & West Sussex

Brighton and Hove

Surrey

Reading

Wokingham

Bracknell Forest

Windsor and Maidenhead

West Berkshire

Hampshire

Buckinghamshire

Oxfordshire

South West

Somerset

Bath

Dorset

Bournemouth

Christchurch

Poole

Gloucestershire

Wiltshire and Swindon

Devon

Who is in Tier 1?

Cornwall

Isles of Scilly

Isle of Wight