Test Valley moving up to Tier 4 on Boxing Day
The New Forest is being raised to the Tier 3 level
Last updated 23rd Dec 2020
The Health Secretary has announced that the measures are being brought in from one minute past midnight on Saturday (26th December).
It will see more parts of the South and South East of England placed into the highest level of coronavirus restrictions.
The tougher tier will apply to the whole of Hampshire, with the exception of the New Forest, as well as Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, those parts of Essex not yet in Tier 4, and Waverley in Surrey.
Councillor Keith Mans, Leader of Hampshire County Council and Chair of the Local Outbreak Engagement Board, said:
“Central Government has confirmed that all areas of Hampshire will be placed under COVID-19 Tier 4 restrictions from Saturday, 26 December, with the exception of the New Forest.
While this announcement may come as a surprise, given that many will have been expecting the next statutory Tier review to take place on 30 December, it is a reflection of rapidly rising infection rates across our county and the impact on local hospitals. Therefore, it is crucial that we all take the necessary steps to protect the public’s health – particularly those who are elderly or clinically extremely vulnerable. It’s the right thing to do.
We must continue to work together, follow the rules for our Tiers and protect ourselves, our loved ones and our communities, especially with the threat of a new COVID-19 variant spreading much faster in Tier 4 areas, and the ongoing rise in transmission in general across the country.”
WHAT DOES TIER 4 MEAN?
Here are the rules for people living in tier 4 areas:
The New Forest will move up to Tier 3 from Boxing Day.
Wiltshire is to remain in Tier 2.
LATEST COVID-19 FIGURES
The latest case data available is for the seven days until 17th December.
Wiltshire:
- 515 cases - rolling rate of 103.0 per 100,000 population
Test Valley:
- 149 cases - rolling rate of 118.1 per 100,000 population
New Forest:
- 169 cases - rolling rate of 93.8 per 100,000 population
England average:
- 171,201 cases - rolling rate of 304.2 per 100,000 population
More follows