Bristol and North Somerset to drop into Tier Two this weekend
Our area is one of only two in the whole UK to see restrictions reduced
Last updated 17th Dec 2020
Bristol and North Somerset will move from Tier Three down to Tier Two on Saturday.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the news in the House of Commons earlier (17/12).
Bristol and North Somerset are two of only three areas across the whole UK, to see their tiers drop.
The other is Herefordshire which will drop from Tier 2 to Tier 1.
You can see more on what being in Tier 2 means below.
In contrast, Tier 3 restrictions will be extended across a wide area of East and South East England.
Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire and parts of Surrey, East Sussex, Cambridgeshire and Hampshire will all jump up from Tier Two to Tier Three.
Matt Hancock told MPs: "We've come so far, we mustn't blow it now."
Bristol's infection rate has been steadily dropping since the second national lockdown was introduced last month.
From its height at over 400 cases per 100,000, the case rate in the city has now dropped to 124 based on the latest figures, while in North Somerset the current rate is 122.8 per 100,000.
The South Gloucestershire Council area, which borders Bristol and was placed in Tier 3 alongside the city, is remaining in Tier 3 unlike Bristol and North Somerset.
That has been confirmed by the council.
The infection rate there is slightly higher, at 160.3 per 100,000.