[title]
It’s been confirmed that London will move into the next phase of lockdown restrictions, known as ‘Tier 2’. The Mayor of London confirmed the heightened measures would come into play from Saturday October 17.
‘Nobody wants to see more restrictions, but this is deemed to be necessary to protect Londoners,’ said Khan in a statement.
At the start of this week (Monday October 12), the government outlined the latest measures being put into place in England to help restrict the advance of a second wave of coronavirus. A new ‘three-tier system’ will introduce local lockdowns of differing severity to regions of the country and will depend on localised rates of infection. The three tiers are as follows:
Tier 1: Medium alert level, which will cover much of the country. Restrictions will entail all current measures (ie the rule of six, 10pm curfew).
Tier 2: High alert level, which has already come into play in some areas of northern England. Restrictions will prevent interactions between households in indoor venues.
Tier 3: Very high alert level. Where transmission rates are rising most rapidly, the government will prohibit socialising indoors and outdoors and will close most leisure and hospitality venues. Additional measures may be agreed with local leaders.
Here’s what a Tier 2 lockdown will look like for London:
You can still go to the pub. But only with those in your household or support bubble.
You can still dine out. But only with members of your household. And you can also still get a takeaway.
Hospitality venues will still close at 10pm.
You can socialise in groups of up to six, but only in outdoor settings. This means that you can dine and drink at outdoor restaurants and bars with people not in your household or support bubble, in groups of up to six.
You can’t have people round to your house. But you can invite them to your garden.
You can keep going to the gym.
You can still go to the cinema.
You can still go to hair and beauty salons.
You can use public transport for journeys to work and school. But people are being asked to reduce the number of journeys ‘where possible’.
These measures in London would act as a baseline set in law once we enter Tier 2 as Friday night turns into Saturday morning. But local leaders would work with the government to determine further measures. Given the size of London and the varying rates of infection, many have speculated that new measures may include per borough restrictions or limitations on travel around the capital.
It’s yet to be clarified how long each region of England would remain under its new tier of restrictions, but a postcode checker has been added to www.gov.uk for people to track their local restrictions as they change.
‘I must warn Londoners we have a difficult winter ahead... I know we will get through this dark time by pulling together,’ added the Mayor.
We’ll keep you updated as soon as we hear further.
Read more: The Cancel the Curfew campaign gathers momentum.