As of the 2nd December, England came out of it’s second national lockdown and went into a broader, updated tier system. There are three tiers: Tier 3 being ‘very high alert’, Tier 2 being ‘high alert, and the lowest Tier 1 ‘medium alert’. Across all tiers, limits on the opening of retail facilities have been relaxed.
Regardless of which tier the area is in, the original coronavirus advise remains including the rule of 6, minimising unnecessary social contact, and isolating and testing when experiencing coronavirus symptoms remains imperative to controlling the virus.
There has been a wave of backlash from MPs at the wider-areas of tiers this time round, with some counties and towns going into the national lockdown at a lower tier than they have come out. Yet this is the direct advice of the scientists, promising this is the most effective way at getting a control over the virus, it being easier to isolate outbreaks of the virus with larger tiers.
The PM has criticised Kier Starmer for abstaining from the tiers vote — Starmer already building a reputation of being agreeable with the government at the time of action, and being “Captain Hindsight” when public backlash comes.
During the Christmas period (23rd to 27th December) different rules apply, with people being able to form Christmas bubbles (or, better named, Christmas baubles).
With the UK becoming the first country to approve the Pfizer vaccines (many others will closely follow), the path towards a post-coronavirus world looks clearer - yet we are not out of the woods yet, and this hopeful future is a long way off yet.
Written by Jessica Craighill
Artwork by Zara Masood
