South Yorkshire and Sheffield move to tier 3 lockdown from Saturday
Sheffield and South Yorkshire may be on the edge of entering the highest tier of lockdown restrictions, which would mean pubs, bars and a number of other leisure venues would have to close and households would be banned from mixing indoors and outdoors.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Sheffield City Region mayor Dan Jarvis are due to make an announcement on Wednesday about the matter, following “very productive” conversations between Mr Jarvis and Westminster.
It comes after tier 3 restrictions were imposed on Greater Manchester on Tuesday evening, following a breakdown in talks between local leaders and the government, who offered £22m of extra funding to support contact tracing and enforcement.
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick told broadcasters he could not confirm if the areas would be going into tier 3, but said an announcement “will be made shortly”.
He told Sky News: “It’s not right for me to pre-empt a full statement that the Prime Minister and Dan Jarvis will make later today.
“But we have had very successful conversations with him and with the leaders of South Yorkshire.
“Again there’s a serious situation there and rightly, they wanted to take action. We’ve discussed that over the course of yesterday and early this morning and an announcement will be made shortly.”
He added that he hoped the government is “on the cusp of an agreement with South Yorkshire”.
However, Mr Jenrick acknowledged there were “further points” to be discussed between the relevant parties. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I hope that we will be able to reach an agreement later today but there are some further points we need to discuss.”
A spokesperson for for the Sheffield City Region said on Tuesday evening: “Mayor Dan Jarvis, the leaders of South Yorkshire’s local authorities and the Government have been in extensive and constructive talks over the coronavirus alert level for the region.
“These talks continue as all sides seek to agree a plan which will protect lives, jobs and our NHS. Full details will be announced as soon as the restrictions and guidance are confirmed.”
Other regions, including the North East, West Yorkshire, Teeside and Nottinghamshire, are known to be in discussions with the government about the possibility of being moved into tier 3.
