The government has announced a new ‘tier 4’ in the Covid Alert Level system restrictions for several areas of England. The new restrictions came into force on Sunday, 20 December. So, what is tier 4? Which areas do the new rules affect? Here’s everything we know so far.
What is Tier 4 and why do we need it?
Tier 4 is a new ‘stay at home’ high-level tier of the Covid Alert Level system. Boris Johnson announced the new tier following a rapid rise in infections attributed to a new variant of Covid-19.
Scientists say that the new variant can spread much more quickly and could be up to 70% more transmissible.
The introduction of new tier 4 rules is aimed at slowing the spread of this new variant of the virus and preventing the NHS from being overwhelmed in the coming weeks.
What are the rules in tier 4?
The rules in tier 4 are largely similar to those of the November lockdown. Here is a summary of the new rules in tier 4 areas:
- You cannot form a bubble with other households over the Christmas period.
- You can only meet with one other person from outside your household in an outdoor space.
- Non-essential retail and close-contact services (such as nail bars and barbers) are closed, as are gyms, leisure centres and hospitality venues.
- Pubs, restaurants and bars are only able to serve takeaway.
- You should not travel outside a tier 4 area, and you must not stay overnight away from home.
- You should work from home if you can (but you can still go to work if working from home isn’t possible).
- Travel abroad from tier 4 areas is not permitted apart from for ‘limited exceptions’ such as work.
- Communal worship can continue.
- Weddings can only take place in exceptional circumstances, with a limit of six attendees.
The new measures will be reviewed on 30 December as part of the wider review of all restrictions, the government has said.
Which areas are under tier 4?
These areas (home to about a third of England’s population) have moved into tier 4 as of Sunday 20 December:
- Kent
- Buckinghamshire
- Berkshire
- Surrey (excluding Waverley)
- Gosport, Havant, Portsmouth, Rother and Hastings
- London (all 32 boroughs and the City of London)
- Bedford
- Central Bedford
- Milton Keynes
- Luton
- Peterborough
- Hertfordshire
- Essex (excluding Colchester, Uttlesford and Tendring)
What’s happening in the rest of the UK?
For the rest of the UK, the planned five-day window for multiple households to meet over the Christmas period has been scrapped.
Now, households can only mix with two other households, and only on 25 December.
People should stay local and avoid overseas travel apart from limited exceptions including work and education.
Residents are expected to follow the restrictions for their tier. For example, if you live in a tier 3 area, you must continue following tier 3 restrictions.
Staying on top of your finances during this period
One major thing that this pandemic has taught us is that it’s always important to have our financial affairs in order.
During these times when many things seem to be out of our control and when rules seem to be changing every other day, being on top of our finances can help us feel a little less anxious about the future.
A few top ideas for staying on top of your finances include:
- Starting an emergency fund to help cover unexpected expenses.
- Creating a budget to help you keep track of your spending.
- Applying for benefits you may be entitled to, such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit.
- Saving whatever you can every month and growing it through a savings account, or a stocks and shares ISA.
- Overhauling your credit by, for example, switching to a 0% balance transfer card to give yourself more time to pay your credit card debts without incurring more interest charges.
Although these actions might not fully eliminate all of your financial concerns or worries, they will go a long way towards enhancing your financial preparedness for whatever lies ahead.
