Tier 3 lockdown rules for Christmas shopping in Sheffield and South Yorkshire

Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed on Thursday that South Yorkshire would be plunged back into Tier 3 along with areas including Manchester, Birmingham and Nottingham.

Only the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – accounting for little over 1% of England’s population – face the lightest Tier 1 restrictions.

Large swathes of the Midlands, North East and North West are in the most restrictive Tier 3, but the majority of people – including London – will be in Tier 2.

At a Downing Street press conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I’m sorry to confirm that from Wednesday most of England will be in the top two tiers, with the toughest measures.

“And I know that this will bring a great deal of heartache and frustration, especially for our vital hospitality sector.”

But he warned: “If we ease off now we risk losing control over this virus all over again, casting aside our hard-won gains and forcing us back into a new year national lockdown with all the damage that would mean.”

The new Tier 3 rules mean that people must meet socially with friends and family indoors in any setting unless they are part of your household or support bubble.

They must also not meet with people outside of their household or support bubble in a private garden or in most outdoor public venues.

Hospitality venues will be closed, with the exception of take aways, click & collect, drive through and delivery services.

Greg Fell, Director of Public Health for Sheffield said: “The important thing for us at the moment is to remember that although our rates are coming down they do remain too high so my message to everyone is to carry on doing the right thing to beat this virus; wash your hands, don’t touch your face with hands that aren’t clean and keep your distance – that two metres between you and another person makes all the difference.

“As we know, this is a virus that kills 1% of the people it infects and we have many people in the city who are at a higher risk than others from it. We have to remain vigilant. We’re not out of the woods yet and, even though we are hearing good news about a vaccination it is not in place yet so this is a crucial time for us to keep following the rules.

“That said, what Sheffielders are doing is working. We have the second or third lowest rates in Yorkshire which hasn’t happened by magic; it’s happened because a large proportion of people have followed the guidance and we thank them for that.”

But, what does this mean for Christmas shopping?

While many places will remain closed in Tier 3, including indoor play centres and areas, trampolining parks and soft play, casinos, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks and cinemas, shops and retail outlets will be open.

People in Sheffield will be required to reduce the number of journeys they make where possible but can travel to venues or amenities that are open.

The only rule is people must wear a face covering in most indoor public settings, unless they have an exemption.