Covid-19: Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent into tier 4

The move to tier four means non-essential shops will have to shut

The decision to move Staffordshire into tier four comes as "a devastating blow to businesses", the leader of the county council has said.

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent will be covered by England's strictest measures from 00:01 GMT on Thursday.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the changes in the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon.

County council leader Alan White said the focus now had to be on getting case numbers down as quickly as possible.

"The priority for 2021 is to get cases back under control and persuade the government that restrictions can be eased in Staffordshire," he said.

"There's light at the end of the tunnel, but businesses need the government to keep laying down the tracks in order to reach it."

Despite Wednesday's news that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine had been approved for use in UK, Cllr White said it would be "some months before we see the benefits and we must stay vigilant to protect lives this winter".

Pressure on NHS

He urged people to stay at home and take part in community testing if asked to do so.

In the seven days up to 25 December, the rate of new infections in South Staffordshire rose to 280.2 per 100,000 people from 206.3.

In Stafford, the rate rose from 222.9 to 247.7 over the same period.

Stoke-on-Trent, East Staffordshire, Tamworth and Staffordshire Moorlands all saw small drops in case numbers.

However, the decision to move tiers is partly based on pressure on local NHS services and the continuing spread of the new variant of Covid-19, which is more transmissible.

Birmingham and the Black Country, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire are also entering tier four.

What are the restrictions in tier four?

The restrictions are similar to the last national lockdown and include:

• Residents should stay at home, unless they have a "reasonable excuse" such as work, education, exercise or food shopping

• All non-essential shops must close

• Hairdressers and nail bars must close

• Indoor entertainment venues must close

• Gyms and indoor swimming pools, indoor sports courts and dance studios must close

• You cannot meet other people indoors, unless you live with them or they are part of your support bubble

• People should not leave tier four areas or travel abroad, except for limited reasons (including work and education)

• Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are only allowed in exceptional circumstances

"Clinically extremely vulnerable" people in tier four areas are advised to stay at home "as much as possible". The government says if they can't work from home, they shouldn't go to work.

What can you do in tier four?

Activities still allowed include:

• Meeting one other person from another household in an open public space, if you are both alone

• Shopping for essentials such as food and medicine

• Outdoor pools, playgrounds, sports courts, golf courses and horse riding centres can open

• You can leave home for work, education, training, childcare and for medical appointments and emergencies

• Communal religious worship

• Support bubbles are still allowed and children can move between separated parents

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