15 December 2020

London will be placed under the tightest level of Covid tier restrictions from 00.01 on Wednesday (December 16, 2020), ahead of a countrywide review later in the day.

The restrictions, put in place to curb rising numbers of coronavirus cases, means that while retail can remain open, hospitality and leisure venues must close, along with a raft of other tighter measures.

As well as greater London, tier three has been designated to the following places:

The latest tier three areas include:

  • The south and west of Essex (Basildon, Brentwood, Harlow, Epping Forest, Castle Point, Rochford, Maldon, Braintree and Chelmsford, along with Thurrock and Southend-On-Sea borough councils)
  • The south of Hertfordshire (Broxbourne, Hertsmere, Watford and the Three Rivers local authority)

Andrew Goodacre, Bira's CEO, said: “It is disappointing to see more areas move into tier three. Whilst shops can remain open, we all know that a fully functioning high street also needs leisure and hospitality to be fully open.

“We really hope that the independent businesses affected by this change receive the requisite level of financial support to  fully compensate the loss of business at one of the busiest time of the year.”

The Government is expected to announce the new tiers for the rest of England in a statement on Wednesday as part of its pledge to review the situation every fortnight.

Read the Government's statement here

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