Covid alert level: York moves into higher Tier 2

Coronavirus cases in the city have more than doubled in less than two weeks

People in York will face tougher Covid restrictions as the city is moved from the lowest alert level into Tier 2.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was being bumped up from Tier 1 because cases had more than doubled in less than a fortnight.

It means from Saturday households are barred from mixing indoors and also in pubs and restaurants.

Meanwhile, City of York Council has announced it is setting up its own test and trace system from next week.

Under the change, businesses in the city can still remain open and people are allowed to meet outdoors in groups of up to six.

The three-tier system was brought in by the government earlier this week in response to a rising number of coronavirus cases, with York initially being placed in the medium Tier 1 category.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Hancock confirmed York, along with parts of London, Essex, Cumbria, Derbyshire and Surrey, would move from medium into high alert restrictions.

The decision comes as the city's cases continue to rise, with the rate per 100,000 people in the week to 11 October standing at 258.3, an increase from 195.6 the week before.

Reacting to the announcement, Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, questioned why York was only moving to Tier 2, despite having a higher infection rate than some areas in Tier 3.

She said: "I do not believe the measures in Tier 2 are going to be sufficient to stop the spread of the virus in our city which, as he will know, is rising incredibly sharply and in the older population as well.

"York experiences real challenges every single winter because of the capacity issues at our hospital, and without taking more acute action now I am concerned we're going to be in serious difficulty in just a few weeks time."

Analysis

By Gemma Dillon, BBC Radio York political reporter

With West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire already placed in the high risk Tier 2 there was a degree of inevitability that York would soon follow - quite how soon has come as a bit of a surprise to some.

Local officials are broadly supportive of the move but are questioning why York wasn't placed in the higher tier on Monday given the number of coronavirus cases in the city is way above the national average

From Saturday, people living and working in the city will be living under a new set of rules.

There is a hope though that the new restrictions will help stem the rise in transmission of the virus - and experts say the city is a "long way off" needing to be placed in the very high risk top tier.

Sharon Stoltz, the city's director of public health, said the new restrictions would "make life more difficult", but added: "Following them is our best chance to slow the virus and have them removed as quickly as possible."

• Three-tier system explained

• Why is Liverpool top of the tier?

• Read more on this and other Yorkshire stories

She said: "We continue to closely monitor the data to track and trace the spread of the virus as quickly as possible.

"We're seeing the virus spread mainly through social contact and households mixing indoors and not social distancing."

The test and trace system in York will run alongisde the national service, the council said

Meanwhile, York's test and trace system is expected to be up and running by the end of next week.

Ms Stoltz said it would "work in partnership with the national service" with local contact tracers chasing up anyone who the national system was unable to reach.

More details about the localised service will be sent out in the coming days, she added.

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