The Prime Minister has just announced the Government's COVID-19 Winter Plan. The headline point is that the national lockdown will end, as planned, on 2 December, and will be replaced by a strengthened localised tier system.
On 2 December, across all of England, regardless of tier:
🛍️ Shops and non-essential retail will reopen
💇 Personal care premises will reopen
🏋️ Gyms and the wider leisure sector will reopen
⚽ Outdoor sports can resume
💒 Collective worship and weddings can resume
🌳 People will no longer be limited to seeing only one other person in outdoor public spaces - the 'Rule of 6' will apply as it did in the previous set of tiers.
Alongside this, the Government is making changes to strengthen the previous tier system:
- In Tier 1: we will encourage people to minimise travel and reinforce the importance of working from home where possible.
- In Tier 2: alcohol may only be served in hospitality settings as part of a substantial meal.
- In Tier 3: hospitality will close except for delivery and takeaway, and indoor entertainment venues must also close.
The 10pm closing time for hospitality has also been modified to last orders at 10pm and closing time at 11pm.
A decision on which tier each area will be in from 2 December will be made later this week.
🎄 By keeping the virus under control through December, the Government can enable everyone to see more of their family and friends over Christmas. The Government is working to agree a UK-wide, time-limited change to social restrictions over the Christmas period.
