Lancashire's Tier 3 rules: will they stop the spread?

Lancashire’s public health boss and a senior county police officer have both welcomed the simplicity and consistency of the new Tier 3 Covid rules coming into force across the county this weekend.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

As of midnight last night, household mixing was outlawed in all indoor and most outdoor settings – other than for those who have formed support bubbles.

Non-food-serving pubs and bars have closed – with bingo halls, casinos, bookmakers, soft play areas, licensed clubs and adult gaming centres all following suit on Sunday night.

The situation will be reviewed in four weeks.

Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods and Dr. Sakthi KarunanithiDeputy Chief Constable Terry Woods and Dr. Sakthi Karunanithi
Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods and Dr. Sakthi Karunanithi
Read More
This is what you can and can't do under Tier 3 restrictions
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Deputy chief constable Terry Woods of Lancashire Police said he saw “a real positive” in the format of the new restrictions.

“For several weeks, we have had multiple different regulations depending on where you are in Lancashire – we’ve now got one very clear and simple set of rules .

“It’s down to every individual within Lancashire to do their own research and look at what is allowed and what is not,” DCC Woods said.

Lancashire’s director of public health Dr. Sakthi Karunanithi said he, too, was pleased that the new rules would apply uniformly across the whole county.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, he warned that their success in halting and reversing the surge in Covid cases would depend on people adhering to them and the wider guidance on social distancing and hygiene – and also on “carrying the community” to encourage them to accept the latest limits on their lives.

“This step [into Tier 3] may be really necessary, but may not be sufficient.

“On the one hand, you can shut everything down and bring the virus down, but on the other you need to take a very balanced approach so that minimisation of harm of harm is at the forefront.

“None of these options are harm-free. And this isn’t all about Covid – there are so many non-Covid issues like people’s jobs and the anxiety and uncertainty [of the situation].

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We will do everything we can as directors of public health, but we ask every member of the public to do everything they can to get us out of this situation as soon as possible,” Dr. Karunanithi said.

He would not be drawn on whether he was content that talks over Tier 3 status for Lancashire had lasted a week while a financial package was thrashed out with the government – during which time virus rates had continued to rise and the rules had been partially relaxed midweek when the county was initially placed into Tier 2.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.