These are the areas in Tier 2 of England’s local lockdown - and rules explained

The government has revealed which tier each area of England will fall under when the national lockdown ends on 2 December.

A large proportion of the country will still have strict measures to follow in either Tier 2 or Tier 3 of the local three-level alert system.

Yet the three tier approach sees a return to the Rule of Six as well as the reopening of all non-essential shops, gyms and hairdressers.

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The tiers, released to the public on Thursday 26 November, see York and North Yorkshire placed under Tier 2 - a high alert stage.

West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire have been placed in Tier 3 - very high alert.

What areas in England are in Tier 2?

North West:

Cumbria

Liverpool City Region

Warrington and Cheshire

Yorkshire:

York

North Yorkshire

West Midlands:

Worcestershire

Herefordshire

Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin

East Midlands:

Rutland

Northamptonshire

East of England:

Suffolk

Hertfordshire

Cambridgeshire, including Peterborough

Norfolk

Essex, Thurrock and Southend on Sea

Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes

London:

all 32 boroughs plus the City of London

South East:

East Sussex

West Sussex

Brighton and Hove

Surrey

Reading

Wokingham

Bracknell Forest

Windsor and Maidenhead

West Berkshire

Hampshire (except the Isle of Wight), Portsmouth and Southampton

Buckinghamshire

Oxfordshire

South West:

South Somerset, Somerset West and Taunton, Mendip and Sedgemoor

Bath and North East Somerset

Dorset

Bournemouth

Christchurch

Poole

Gloucestershire

Wiltshire and Swindon

Devon

What are the rules for Tier 2?

After the national lockdown is lifted at 00:01 on 2 December, the revised three tier alert system will come into effect across England.

It means that people who live in an area placed in Tier 2 can meet up outside with others under the Rule of Six, but households will not be able to mix indoors.

Restaurants, hospitality venues and pubs that serve substantial meals can reopen and stay open until 11pm, though only serve alcohol until 10pm.

Pubs and bars that don’t serve substantial meals won’t be able to open.

Grassroots sport can resume outside, along with physical activity and exercise classes. These are permitted indoors if people can avoid mixing with others they don’t live with.

Spectators will be allowed back into stadiums to watch sport, with a maximum of 2,000 people attending or 50% of the ground’s capacity, whichever is smaller. The maximum capacity indoors is 1,000 spectators.

Places of worship remain open, though you must stay in your household or support bubble inside, while 15 people can attend weddings and 30 people are permitted to attend funerals.

Can I travel to Tier 1 and Tier 3 areas?

The government’s advice is to reduce the number of journeys made wherever possible, but people can still travel to venues open in other areas.

But, if you live in a Tier 2 area, you must continue to follow Tier 2 rules even in a Tier 1 area, while travel and overnight stays to a Tier 3 is to be avoided with some exceptions such as medical treatment.

How did the government decide on the tiers?

Five key factors were considered by the government in deciding which area was placed under which tier.

The government looked at the case detection rate in all age groups, how quickly case rates were rising or falling, percentage of positivity in the general population, pressure on the NHS and local context such as contained outbreaks.

The tiers will be reviewed on 16 December.

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