The Prime Minister announced yesterday the plan for when the national lockdown restrictions come to an end next Wednesday.

As before there will be a ‘three-tier system’ but in all tiers non-essential non-essential shops, personal care services, gyms and sporting facilities will be allowed to reopen. I know this news will be a relief to many. Hospitality venues including cafes, restaurants and accommodation will be able to reopen in Tier 1 and Tier 2, but must close in Tier 3 except for delivery and takeaway. Where they are allowed to reopen pubs and restaurants will have to stop take orders at 10pm, but will be allowed to stay open until 11pm.

The full details about the rules in different tiers can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-restriction-tiers-what-you-need-to-know

The tier level for Southampton will be announced on Thursday. However regardless of what tier we go into, it is really important that everyone remains vigilant. The rate of coronavirus in Southampton are higher than in other parts of Hampshire. With a number of promising vaccines on the horizon, I am hopeful that there we will be all able to get back to a much greater sense of normality before too long. I know this has been an incredibly challenging year, but it is only from people following the rules that we are making this good progress.