Warwickshire to remain in Tier 3 - The Leamington Observer

Warwickshire to remain in Tier 3

Leamington Editorial 17th Dec, 2020   0

WARWICKSHIRE will remain in Tier 3 the most severe ‘very high’ covid alert level, the Heath Secretary has announced.

Matt Hancock told the House of Commons that coronavirus cases were rising once more.

He said: “No one wants tougher restrictions any longer than necessary,” adding that where they are necessary they will be put in place to help ease pressure on the NHS.

“As we enter the coldest months we must be vigilant and keep this virus under control.




“Yesterday (Wednesday December 16), 25,161 cases were reported and there are 18,038 people in hospital with coronavirus in the UK. We must keep suppressing this virus.

“And this isn’t just a matter for government or for this House, it is a matter for every single person and these are always the most difficult months for people’s health and for the NHS.


“Especially with the vaccine already here, we must be cautious as we accelerate the vaccine deployment as per the winter plan.

“We’ve come so far, we mustn’t blow it now.”

The initial Tier 3 allocation following the second national lockdown sparked anger among leaders and businesses in South Warwickshire, where cases were comparatively lower than surrounding areas.

District council leaders in Warwick and Stratford argued the area should have been considered separately from North Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull which the region had been grouped with.

But the latest figures show cases in Warwick are now the highest in the county. Numbers rose to 181 per 100,000 residents in the week of December 6 to 12, up by 82 from the previous week.

In Rugby, the latest figures show 176 cases per 100,000, up by 77 and in Stratford, cases have risen to 101, up by 65 – although still below the 165 average.

Nuneaton and Bedworth is the only place to reduce, dropping by 31 to 159 cases in 100,000.

Across the country, areas in the east and south of England have been moved into Tier 3, with restrictions in Bristol and North Somerset reduced to Tier 2, and Herefordshire joining Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight in Tier 1.

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