Whole of Nottinghamshire to enter Tier 3 Coronavirus restrictions from Friday
The whole of Nottinghamshire is to move under Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions from Friday, the Department of Health has announced.
The eight districts of Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Broxtowe, Gedling, Mansfield, Newark and Sherwood, Nottingham and Rushcliffe will be affected.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "We have seen infection rates rising sharply across Nottinghamshire, and in close collaboration with local leaders we have agreed on a package of local measures to stop this virus in its tracks.
"I understand how difficult life is under these restrictions and the impact they have on families and businesses, but we never take these decisions lightly.
"I want to thank local leaders for their continued support and to extend my gratitude to the people of Nottinghamshire who have shown real resilience, consistently working together to follow the rules and help bring down rates of infection."
Nottingham, Rushcliffe, Gedling and Broxtowe were due to move into the top tier of Covid restrictions on Thursday.
But Mansfield, Ashfield, Bassetlaw and Newark and Sherwood will now also face the toughest measures.
Ashfield District Council leader Jason Zadrozny said "all of the county would go into tier three" at the same time on Friday.
Under pre-existing Tier 3 measures, bars and pubs in Nottinghamshire will have to close unless they serve substantial meals.
Households will also be banned from mixing indoors or in private gardens and beer gardens.
In addition, the DHSC said it had agreed further measures with local leaders, meaning all hospitality venues, including cafes and restaurants, can only remain open to offer substantial meals, or must move to operate a delivery and takeaway service only.
Betting shops, car boot sales and auction houses must close, as well as tattoo parlours, tanning and nail salons, and piercing services.
Leisure and sporting facilities, including gyms, can remain open.
Nottingham had the highest figures in the UK earlier this month, but its seven-day rate of infection has dropped again, according to the latest data.
The city had the 23rd highest rate of infection per 100,000 people in England, at 451.5, in the week to the 25 October - down from 611 the previous week.
Nottingham South Labour MP Lilian Greenwood has criticised the government for taking "a week and a half" to come to an agreement over the city and county.
"It's created huge anxiety and uncertainty, by doing that I think they're undermining trust," he said.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, who is also the MP for Newark, has defended the government's handling of local lockdowns.
"I'm certain I haven't got everything right, neither has the government, but we're learning as we know more about the virus and trying to take the right decisions," he said.
The Government said a further 310 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Wednesday - bringing the UK total to 45,675.
They added that, as of 9am on Wednesday, there had been a further 24,701 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK - bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 942,275.
NHS national medical director Professor Stephen Powis said hospitals in Liverpool, Lancashire and Nottingham are treating more coronavirus patients than they did in April - with the latter having to cancel four cancer operations due to "pressure on intensive care units".
Prof Powis said: "Hospitals have local and regional plans in place to respond to additional demand, and the NHS has prepared carefully - we also have new life-saving treatments, better understand the oxygen treatments, and survival rates in intensive care have increased.”
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