Operators blast government as 99% of country put in tier two and three restrictions: Operators have blasted the government after it announced 99% of the country will be placed into tier two or three restrictions post-lockdown. Measures are set to be reviewed every two weeks with the new tier system expected to be in place until March next year. Only three areas were placed into the tier one category with the most relaxed rules. Night Time Industries Association chief executive Michael Kill said: “Today’s allocation of regional tier levels has brought about a stark reality to the night-time economy and hospitality businesses, diminishing hopes of trading through the key festive period for many, with a long winter ahead fighting to survive. It’s devastating news particularly for the Midlands and north of England, Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle, which have been hardest hit with the implementation of tier three, with the majority of regions being placed in tier two and very limited areas in tier one. Industry and business leaders are speaking up, highlighting the immense impact of restrictions to their sector, individual companies releasing huge redundancy figures, business owners suffering from mental health, and suicide rates within the sector steadily increasing. The government must compensate these businesses for the period of time they have been closed, and the loss of business suffered due to restrictions through the festive period. The sector has suffered horrendously since the start of the pandemic and is bearing the burden, so that other sectors are able to open during the festive period.” James Watson and Pete McDonald, joint chief executives of Mosaic Pub and Dining, told Propel: “While we welcome tier two in London, the introduction of tier three elsewhere is going to cause great hardship to us, with the elements of our estate that are based in Birmingham, Warwick and Kent being in total around a third of our estate. These sites between July and October had a combined total of two cases of covid-19 before lockdown two, neither of which were contracted at our sites. This decision, we therefore believe, is irrational, anti-commercial, and ultimately destructive to our businesses, and we will be formally complaining to the government.” Simon Potts, chief executive of The Alchemist, tweeted: “Inevitable but no less astonishing tiering – grateful London in tier two but statistically ridiculous given infection direction of travel.” Loungers chairman Alex Reilley tweeted: “We had a sweepstake about how many of our sites will be in tier three. For once, I really hoped I don’t win – looks like I did.” Sacha Lord, Greater Manchester’s night time economy adviser, tweeted: “Tier three is yet another hammer blow for hospitality in Greater Manchester. Another day of the government’s game of carrot and stick. Our R rate is plummeting thanks to the public. Let’s see if they try to point score again, as we head nearer tier two. We will keep fighting.” Here are the tier categories across England: tier one (medium alert) South east – Isle of Wight; south west – Cornwall, Isles of Scilly. Tier two (high alert) North west – Cumbria, Liverpool City Region, Warrington and Cheshire. Yorkshire – York, North Yorkshire. West Midlands – Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. East Midlands – Rutland, Northamptonshire. East of England – Suffolk; Hertfordshire; Cambridgeshire, including Peterborough; Norfolk; Essex, Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea; and Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes. London – all 32 boroughs plus the City of London. South east – East Sussex, West Sussex, Brighton & Hove, Surrey, Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell Forest, Windsor and Maidenhead, West Berkshire, Hampshire (except the Isle of Wight), Portsmouth and Southampton, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire. South west – South Somerset, Somerset West and Taunton, Mendip and Sedgemoor, Bath and North East Somerset, Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Swindon, Devon. Tier three (very high alert) North east – Tees Valley Combined Authority: Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar and Cleveland, Darlington; North East Combined Authority: Sunderland, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North Tyneside, County Durham, Northumberland. North west – Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Blackpool, Blackburn with Darwen. Yorkshire and The Humber – The Humber, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire. West Midlands – Birmingham and Black Country, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull. East Midlands – Derby and Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, Leicester and Leicestershire, Lincolnshire. South east – Slough (remainder of Berkshire is tier 2: high alert), Kent and Medway. South west – Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset. The rules governing each tier include: tier one (medium) – follow the rule of six if meeting indoors or outdoors; pubs and restaurants to shut at 11pm with last orders at 10pm; people encouraged to minimise travel and work from home where possible; spectators allowed at sports events and live performances (limited numbers – 4,000 outdoors/1,000 indoors or 50% capacity, whichever is smaller); personal care, including hairdressing, allowed. Tier two (high): no household mixing indoors; rule of six will apply outdoors; pubs and restaurants to shut at 11pm with last orders at 10pm; alcohol only served as part of “substantial meal”; spectators allowed at sports events and live performances (limited numbers – 2,000 outdoors/1,000 indoors or 50% capacity, whichever is smaller); personal care, including hairdressing, allowed. Tier three (very high): No household mixing indoors or outdoors in hospitality venues or private gardens; rule of six applies in outdoor public spaces, like parks; pubs/restaurants closed except for delivery and takeaway; indoor entertainment venues closed; guidance against travelling in and out of the area; personal care, including hairdressing, allowed. The decisions on which area goes into which tier are primarily based on five key epidemiological indicators: case detection rates in all age groups; case detection rates in the over-60s; the rate at which cases are rising or falling; positivity rate (the number of positive cases detected as a percentage of tests taken); and pressure on the NHS, including current and projected occupancy. The indicators are designed to provide a full picture of what is happening with the virus in any area so that suitable action can be taken.