Coronavirus: the areas bracing for Boris Johnson’s tougher tier system

More than half of England is heading for tighter Covid restrictions after the current lockdown than before it, under a new three-tier system unveiled by Boris Johnson yesterday.

To “control the virus effectively”, the prime minister said, it was “likely that more of the country is placed into Tiers 2 and 3 at first”.

That will mean households may not mix indoors, and no more than six people will be allowed to meet outdoors. And under the new system, pubs and restaurants in Tier 2 may only serve alcohol with a substantial meal - a rule that previously applied only in Tier 3.

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In this top tier, pubs and restaurants will have to stay closed.

“A massive lobbying effort is under way from local politicians and MPs arguing their areas should not face the highest level of restrictions,” reports Politico.

How will tiers be decided?

Despite the lobbying push, and “unlike the previous system, there will be no negotiation with local leaders over the classification”, City A.M. reports. Instead, the decision will be made according to five criteria:

• total case numbers
• cases in over 60s
• the rate at which infections are rising or falling
• percentage of positive tests
• current and projected pressure on local NHS services

All areas in a given tier will receive the same financial support package, with a fixed payment per head of population.

Which areas will be in Tier 3?

“Northern leaders said they would fiercely resist a return to the highest tier,” The Guardian reports - but they are likely to be disappointed. Although the decision will not be taken until tomorrow, when the Office for National Statistics releases local infection data, most northern cities are expected to end up in Tier 3.

The exception may be the former epicentre of the UK outbreak. “Hope is increasing that Liverpool may be able to leave the highest tier of coronavirus restrictions after mass testing was hailed as a success,” says the Liverpool Echo.

London is expected to enter Tier 2, according to the city’s Mayor Sadiq Khan, while Kent, “where cases are rising most rapidly”, is “at risk” of Tier 3 restrictions, The Guardian adds.