All of Sussex to enter Tier 4 restrictions from Boxing Day
It follows a dramatic rise in cases in the county
Last updated 23rd Dec 2020
West Sussex will be placed under the toughest coronavirus restrictions in England from Boxing Day, the Health Secretary has announced.
In a statement at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday (December 23rd), Matt Hancock confirmed the county would be moving from Tier 2 into Tier 4 from one minute past midnight on Saturday.
The new rules will also cover all of East Sussex, Brighton and Hove and most of Hampshire, with the exception of the New Forest, which enters tier 3.
It means that households will be banned from mixing, except if they are in the same support bubble, and people will be encouraged to work from home.
A maximum of two people will be allowed to meet in outdoor spaces.
All non-essential shops will be required to close, dashing shoppers' hopes of getting out for the Boxing Day sales.
Overnight stays will not be allowed under the new rules and hospitality venues such as bars and restaurants are required to shut their doors, though they can still offer takeaway, delivery and click-and-collect services.
Places of worship, including Chichester Cathedral, will remain open.
The measures have already been in force since Saturday in areas which border the county, including Havant, Portsmouth, most of Surrey, and Hastings and Rother in East Sussex.
It follows a substantial rise in cases in the county in recent days linked to a new, more contagious variant of the virus.
Public Health England data showed that 1,597 cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the county in the seven days to last Thursday (December 17th), almost double the 824 for the seven days prior.
Confirmed cases have more than doubled in three districts and boroughs in the county week-on-week - Arun, Adur and Crawley.
Gillian Keegan, MP for Chichester, said:
"The local data has shown the coronavirus is spreading rapidly driven by the new variant of the virus.
"Although these restrictions are not what any of us were hoping for, limiting our social contacts as much as possible is our best weapon against this virus whilst we continue our vaccination programme.
"I know this is an incredibly difficult time for many people, but we are making big advances on both testing, treatment and our vaccine roll-out – with community vaccination across Sussex getting underway, and a new vaccine programme starting in Worthing Hospital yesterday with St Richard's due to start in the New Year.
"The end is almost in sight, I’m hopeful that 2021 will be a better year."
West Sussex Interim Director of Public Health, Dr Tony Hill, has urged residents to follow tier 4 guidelines and consider the safety of friends, family and others at all times:
"I am very concerned at the rising number of cases of COVID-19 in West Sussex, as we should all be.
"Everyone has a responsibility to make themselves aware of the rules so that we do all we can to protect ourselves and each other.
"By washing our hands, wearing a face covering, keeping socially distant and abiding by the tier 4 restrictions we can hopefully bring the rates down, stay safe and ease the pressure on our NHS.
"Although tier restrictions are being relaxed on Christmas Day, I would still encourage everyone to keep their gatherings small and keep them local wherever possible."
Councillor Amanda Jupp, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Adults & Health and Chair of the West Sussex Local Outbreak Engagement Board, added:
"The restrictions are there to protect us, so it is extremely important that we all play our part and keep our county as safe as possible.
"Nobody wants to be in this situation, and I know we would all like to get back to normal.
"I urge everyone to follow the rules so that we can return to doing the things we enjoy as quickly as soon as possible."