Warwickshire moves into Tier 4
Following the Government's announcement, Warwickshire moved into Tier 4 from 00:01 on Thursday 31 December 2020.
Moving to Tier 4 means that everyone must stay at home unless they have a 'reasonable excuse' such as work, education, childcare or essential activities set out in Government guidance. Adhering to the restrictions is crucial; we need Warwickshire's residents to continue to do the right thing to contain the virus, help our hospitals and protect clinically extremely vulnerable residents while the vaccination programme continues to roll out.
Under Tier 4 restrictions, non-essential shops, hairdressers, nail bars, indoor entertainment venues, gyms, swimming pools, indoor sports courts and dance studios must close. Households are not allowed to mix, but one person can meet another outside in a public place. Support and childcare bubbles are able to continue as before. Essential shops will remain open and residents are still able to attend a place of worship that is COVID-19 secure. Non-essential shops can provide click-and-collect or deliveries, and pubs, cafes and restaurants can continue to provide takeaway, drive-through or delivery services.
People should work at home wherever possible and generally minimise their time spent outside of the home. Warwickshire residents must not now stay overnight away from home. Holidays in the UK and abroad are not permitted. Those who have been identified as clinically extremely vulnerable should not go to work, even if they cannot work from home, and limit the time they spend outside of their homes.
One in three people with COVID don't display any symptoms, so Warwickshire residents are also encouraged to use one of the new community testing sites for people with no symptoms. By identifying those people who have no signs of the virus, we can stop them spreading it without knowing. Appointments can be booked from www.warwickshire.gov.uk/covidcommunitytesting.
With the closure of non-essential retailers and other organisations, the move to Tier 4 is likely to have a significant financial impact on many Warwickshire residents and businesses.
Warwickshire County Council are reminding those in need that there are a range of advice and support services available to them. These include the Warwickshire Local Welfare Scheme which provides essential help for food and energy to our most vulnerable residents, self-isolation payments of £500 to those on low incomes or certain benefits who will lose income as a result of having to self-isolate and a range of financial support for businesses that have been impacted or forced to close. Details of all of these, and how to access them, can be found online at www.warwickshire.gov.uk or by calling the Warwickshire County Council hotline on 01926 410410.