Where’s next for Tier Three? 6MILLION in the West Midlands, North East and West Yorkshire

Where’s next for Tier Three? 6MILLION people living in the West Midlands, North East and West Yorkshire could be dragged into toughest lockdown within days to contain Covid-19

  • Means 14million people across England could be living under toughest Covid-controlling curbs by weekend
  • In the West Midlands, Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton at risk
  • So are Northumberland, Newcastle, Sunderland, North and South Tyneside, Gateshead and County Durham
  • In West Yorkshire, move would affect Leeds, Kirklees, Bradford and Halifax – but other parts to go into Tier 2

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Six million more people in England are poised to be stung by Tier Three lockdown restrictions this week amid spiralling coronavirus cases, as Number 10 continues to rely on its ‘whack-a-mole’ strategy to contain the disease.

Residents in the West Midlands, North East and West Yorkshire look set to be the next dragged into the toughest bracket of measures, which bans people from socialising with family or friends and sees pubs forced to shut completely unless they are serving ‘substantial meals’.

It means 14million people across England could be living under the toughest coronavirus-controlling curbs by the weekend. Currently there are 8million residents in Tier Three towns, cities and boroughs in Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Lancashire and Nottinghamshire.

In the West Midlands, Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton – which are already in Tier Two – could all be upgraded to a tougher bracket within days, unless infection rates drop rapidly.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and the leaders of the seven metropolitan councils had been discussing the prospect of Tier Three measures ahead of a gold command meeting with Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday.

Following the meeting, local authority sources said it was ‘pretty unlikely’ infection rates would come down enough in the next few days, and that Tier Three would be imposed ‘by the end of next week or the start of the following week’.

Political leaders in the North East are scheduled to meet on Thursday afternoon to discuss whether the region should be placed in the highest category of measures. The move would affect the Tier 2 boroughs of Northumberland, Newcastle, Sunderland, North and South Tyneside, Gateshead and County Durham. Leaders there have previously pushed back against a Tier Three upgrade, saying coronavirus cases had stabilised and the NHS locally could cope.

Meanwhile, leaders in West Yorkshire have denied they are in a ‘stand-off’ with Number 10 over plans to plunge 1.8million people in the region into a Tier Three lockdown. Bradford Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe insisted the crunch talks were not at an impasse, despite rumbling on for three days with little progress.

West Yorkshire is poised for tougher restrictions after routine NHS operations were cancelled at one England’s biggest trusts in Leeds after Covid-19 patients on wards reached levels higher than in the April/May peak.

All of Nottinghamshire will move into Tier Three restrictions on Friday, it has been confirmed, after a crisis meeting between ministers and local leaders. Bristol is also moving into a Tier Plus One, while West Yorkshire negotiates over Tier Three