Filey MP calls for tier system to be on district level not county-wide

Filey's MP has called on Health Secretary Matt Hancock to operate the Tiers restriction system by district rather than area.

Kevin Hollinrake also says the Borough of Scarborough could be in the highest tier after lockdown if infection rates continue to rise.

He's urging everyone to continue sticking to the rules and to remain disciplined.

Kevin said:

"We will definitely come out of lockdown and I think on the 3rd of December we'll go back to the tier system, but the outbreak has really taken off in Scarborough Borough so we need to get that virus under control. We can't expect to be in a lower tier, or the lowest tier, if the outbreak is at a high incidence.

I have made the case and I will make again to Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, that I want to see the allocations made to tiers on the basis of districts or boroughs rather than on a county-wide level. But at the moment, it's true to say that Scarborough Borough is looking like it would be in probably a Tier 3 situation if it were to remain at its current level of infection rate.

"If we want to be in the lower tier, if we want our bars, restaurants and businesses to re-open and if we want our social lives to go back to something approaching normality, then we've got to stay disciplined and get this virus until control. The actions we take today will have a very profound impact on where we are on the 2nd of December."

Over the last 24 hours, there has been a drop in the number of Covid-19 cases in Scarborough Borough. 29 cases have been added, down from 103 recorded this time last week.

Kevin added:

"That's really good news. It does demonstrate that each of our individual actions make a huge difference. I think the reason for the transmission increase has been household mixing and that's what has got to stop; that's much more significant than schools, colleges and other social settings.

"I think the Government will bring in a Tier 4 which will be a complete lockdown, similar to what we're seeing at the moment in the national lockdown. I think we'd probably be in the highest tiers, Tier 3 or Tier 4 if we stay at that, but the good news from those figures we've seen overnight shows that we can get this down quite rapidly just like it can go up rapidly."