When will Sheffield come out of lockdown? Fears over exit strategy with ‘no end in sight’

Sheffield has been placed into Tier 2 on the Government’s coronavirus alert system, bringing with it a host of new rules akin to a local lockdown - but it is not currently clear how long they will last and what must happen for them to ease, leaving around 585,000 people in the dark.

Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam Olivia Blake accused the Government of "serial incompetence” and criticised the absence of a “credible plan”.

She said: “We are at a crucial moment in the fight against the virus, with cases rising every day in Sheffield Hallam. And yet the Government still doesn’t have a credible plan for how we are going to get through this.

“Meanwhile, the Chancellor’s dithering over support for people living under local restrictions has put jobs in Hallam at risk and left workers in limbo. This is serial incompetence at the heart of government.”

Labour councillor Jim Steinke also called for a “clearer strategy nationally for how we move beyond just waiting for a vaccine to take us out of this crisis.”

Labour MP for Sheffield Central Paul Blomfield added: “In place of the confused and conflicting statements we’ve seen from Boris Johnson, we need clarity and certainty to rebuild confidence.

"Rules need to be based on scientific advice and apply to everyone, with no exceptions for those close to the Prime Minister.”

Conservative MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge Miriam Cates said the Government’s number one priority right now is to reduce the number of new cases.

She said: “There may not be an easy way out of this situation, despite promising signs from the ongoing vaccine trials, and we must therefore accept that we might have to live with Covid-19 for some time to come.

“The new Three Tier system the Prime Minister has introduced will help to target measures where they are needed, and we need to give it time to have an impact. This will be considered not just in the context of case numbers, but also the wider prevalence of the virus and the rate of spread.”