COVID-19: What are the rules under Tier 2?

The government has announced Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire are in Tier 2 as part of a tougher system.

Tier 2:

• No mixing of households indoors apart from support bubbles - rule of six outdoors
• Pubs and bars must close unless operating as restaurants, and hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with substantial meals
• Last orders at 10pm, close by 11pm
• Reduce the numbers of journeys made and avoid travel into Tier 3 areas
• Overnight stays permitted with your household or support bubble
• Accommodation open
• Places of worship open but people cannot interact with anyone outside their household or support bubble
• Weddings, civil partnerships and wakes can have 15 guests
• Funerals can have 30 guests
• Exercise classes and organised adult sport can take place outdoors, but not indoors if there is any interaction between different households
• Elite sporting events, live performances and large business events can take place with 50% capacity, or 2,000 people outdoors/1,000 indoors (whichever is lower) - social distancing applies

How tiers will be determined:

The government says decisions on allocating areas into tiers will be made by ministers based on recommendations by scientists and medics, taking into account:

• Infection rates in all age groups, in particular among the over 60s
• How quickly case rates are rising or falling
• The number of cases per 100,000 in the general population
• Pressure on the NHS - including current and projected capacity, admissions, bed occupancy and staff absences
• Local factors and exceptional circumstances, such as local but contained outbreaks.

© Sky News 2020