Nottingham is to stay in Tier 3 ‘Very High’ restrictions for Covid-19, following a national review today (17 Dec) by the Government.
Cllr David Mellen, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said:
“I know that people will be disappointed that Nottingham is remaining in Tier 3 restrictions for Covid-19. It has been a hard year for all of us – we had hoped that moving to Tier 2 would be a step in the right direction for returning to a more normal life. In particular, this will be hard news for the hospitality sector – our pubs and restaurants – that must now continue to remain closed.
“However, I understand why the decision has been made to keep our city at the Very High alert level. While we have seen a huge drop in the number of cases of Covid-19 since October, we know that the virus is still present in our communities – and we have started to see a small rise in positive cases again this week. We also know that Covid-19 continues to put pressure on our hospitals.
“It is important that we do all we can to stick to the rules and stop the spread of the virus. At all times, I would ask people to continue to follow the guidance of ‘hands, face, space’.
“We must also all give careful consideration to how we form ‘Christmas bubbles’ next week. Although we will remain at Tier 3 until the next review at the end of December, citizens will have hard decisions to make over the festive period when the rules around households are relaxed from 23-27 December; there will be a desperate desire to see families and loved ones, but no one wants to pass on this disease to those they care about.
“I urge people to follow the advice when mixing households over Christmas: minimise time spent indoors, open windows and think carefully about how you spend your time and who you spend it with. This is a really important time of year, but it is also crucially important that people follow the guidance.”
For more information on the restrictions, Christmas Bubbles and how to get help and support, visit the city council website www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19