Sheffield still 'highly likely' to remain in Tier 3 says mayor

Speaking on BBC Radio Sheffield today, Mr Jarvis, who previously claimed it was ‘highly likely’ South Yorkshire will remain subject to the toughest controls on daily life, said the data still supports his prediction.

He said: "The reason I spoke out last week is because I think there was an assumption amongst lots of people and lots of our businesses that we would move out of Tier 3 and into Tier 2, and looking at the data [...] it didn’t appear to me that that would be the case.

When will Sheffield Covid tier announcement be made and what will happen? Everything we know

"The truth of the matter is I don’t know what the Government is going to decide. I will find out when everybody else does at about 11.30 this morning.”

Mr Jarvis said the Government no longer consults or negotiates with local areas about decisions to move them up or down a tier.

"Given the five criteria the Government uses to make the decision, it does look likely that South Yorkshire and indeed much of the rest of the North is likely to remain in Tier 3,” he added.

Vaccination is the best way for Sheffield to beat Covid, says health chief

The Government considers the number of cases in all age groups, over 60s, the rate at which cases are rising or falling, the number of positive cases detected as a percentage of tests taken, and pressure on the NHS locally when deciding what tier to place an area in.

Sheffield’s director of public health has said the city’s hospitals remain very busy.

The tier system is due to be reviewed again in a week’s time.