Following the Prime Ministerā€™s announcement on 23rd November, England will be coming out of the second national lockdown on December 2nd.

The move out of lockdown will see the country move back into a tier-system which had been used in the weeks before the second lockdown. This will see different regions placed in one of three tiers, each one with its own specific requirements. These tiers have been adjusted from the original tiers and are now seen as more strict.

Regardless of which tier your local area is in, the following will apply:

  • Stay at home requirement will end.
  • Domestic and international travel being permitted again subject to guidance in each tier.
  • Shops, personal care, gyms and the wider leisure sector will reopen.
  • Collective worship, weddings and outdoor sports can resume, subject to social distancing
  • People will no longer be limited to seeing only one other person in outdoor public spaces, but the rule of 6 will apply as it did in the previous set of tiers.

Tier 1

  • The Government will reinforce the importance of working from home wherever possible

Tier 2

  • Pubs and bars must close unless they are serving substantial meals (like a full breakfast, main lunchtime or evening meal), along with accompanying drinks.

Tier 3

  • All hospitality will close except for delivery, takeaway and drive-through; hotels and other accommodation providers must close (except for specific exemptions, including people staying for work purposes or where they cannot return home); and indoor entertainment venues must also close.

It is recommended that our members familiarise themselves with which tier they reside in and the specific rules which apply in that area. The Government is due to announce which tier each region will fall into on Thursday 26th November. There will no longer be variations based on regional agreements, this means that all tiers will have the same rules across the country.

It is expected that a common approach across the United Kingdom will be agreed to with regards to Christmas, details on this are yet to be confirmed.

The Almshouse Association is also pushing the Government to prioritise access to vaccinations for almshouse residents and staff. As usual, we will continue to keep our members up to date with developments as we receive them.

Full details on the tier system can be found here.

Posted 25 November 20