What tier will I be in after lockdown? Covid tier system explained, expected rules and restrictions - and when it was announced

England will return to a regional tiered approach when its current lockdown ends on Wednesday 2 December – but more areas will face tougher restrictions than under the previous regime.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out new measures to stop the spread of coronavirus through the winter earlier this week (23 November).

And now, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced the tiers into which local authorities in England will be placed until mid-December.

Here is everything you need to know.

How will it be decided which tier an area falls into?

The Government decided which tier each region is placed in based on the number of cases in each area, particularly in people aged over 60, and details of which areas will be in which tiers were set out on Thursday 26 November.

Dr Mike Tildesley, a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M) which advises the Government, said he expected a lot of areas of England to emerge from lockdown into the highest tier, something that came to pass.

He told BBC Breakfast: “We have fairly good evidence from Tier 3 that it was probably sufficient to take the R number below 1, the lower tiers it seemed that that wasn’t the case and so I would expect that probably initially quite a lot of regions may find themselves in Tier 3.”

During his address, Boris Johnson said: “Later this week, we will announce which areas will fall into which tier, I hope on Thursday. I’m sorry to say we expect that more regions will fall at least temporarily into higher levels than before.”

Which areas are under Tier 3?

Large swathes of the Midlands, North East and North West are in the most restrictive Tier 3.

The full list of areas subject to Tier 3 restrictions from 2 December is as follows:

The full list of areas subject to Tier 3 restrictions is as follows:

North East

- Hartlepool

- Middlesbrough

- Stockton-on-Tees

- Redcar and Cleveland

- Darlington

- Sunderland

- South Tyneside

- Gateshead

- Newcastle upon Tyne

- North Tyneside

- County Durham

- Northumberland

North West

- Greater Manchester

- Lancashire

- Blackpool

- Blackburn with Darwen

Yorkshire and The Humber

- The Humber

- West Yorkshire

- South Yorkshire

West Midlands

- Birmingham and Black Country

- Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent

- Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull

East Midlands

- Derby and Derbyshire

- Nottingham and Nottinghamshire

- Leicester and Leicestershire

- Lincolnshire

South East

- Slough (remainder of Berkshire is tier 2: High alert)

- Kent and Medway

South West

- Bristol

- South Gloucestershire

- North Somerset

London

- All 32 boroughs plus the City of London

East of England

- Basildon

- Braintree

- Brentwood

- Castle Point

- Chelmsford

- Epping Forest

- Harlow

- Broxbourne

- Hertsmere

- Three Rivers

- WatfordWhat are the new Tier 1, 2 and 3 measures?

Across all tiers:

- People can leave their homes for any purpose and can socialise in outdoor places, subject to the rule of six

- Collective worship and weddings can resume

- Shops and wider leisure facilities including gyms can reopen

New Tier 1 measures:

- People should work from home wherever possible

- Last orders at hospitality venues at 10pm, with curfew extended to 11pm

New Tier 2 measures:

- Alcohol can only be served at hospitality venues as part of a substantial meal

- Last orders at hospitality venues at 10pm, with curfew extended to 11pm

New Tier 3 measures:

- Bars, restaurants and all hospitality venues will remain closed, except for takeaway and delivery

- Indoor entertainment and hotels will remain closed