The tier revision has been announced for our borough of Welwyn Hatfield, after Hertsmere was moved into Tier 3 on Wednesday.

Matt Hancock has announced Welwyn Hatfield will be in Tier 3 with the rest of Hertfordshire.

He has also confirmed that this will apply from 00:01 Saturday December 19.

On Wednesday, December 16, Welwyn Hatfield had 30 positive COVID-19 tests in one day according to the Government.

The rate over the last seven days, on December 11, has been 148.7 per 100,000 and a total of 183 current cases.

This has mainly affected those under 60, who have a COVID-19 case rate of 167.3 per 100,000 during a seven day period, as of December 11. Over 60s have positive COVID-19 tests at 75.9.

There are 1,734 patients in hospitals in the East of England with 108 on ventilation.

A total of 120 people in Welwyn Hatfield have died with COVID-19 on the death certificate as of Friday, December 4.

While the total deaths within 28 days of the first positive test result for COVID-19 reported up to Wednesday, 16 December 2020 is 87. This is a rate of 70.7 per 100,000.

Hertsmere, which has just moved into Tier 3, has seen a significant spike.

There were 293 cases in the week of December 5 to 11, an increase of 132 compared to the previous week.

Hertsmere currently has 279 cases per 100,000 people.

Deaths within 28 days of a positive test are now at 164, with a further two yesterday.

Deaths with COVID-19 on the death certificate stand at 206 as of Friday, December 4.

Below are the measures that people must follow under Tier Three ‘Very High Alert’:

  • People must not mix indoors or outdoors with people outside of their household, unless in a permitted outdoor space such as a park, where the rule of six applies.
  • Pubs, bars and restaurants would close and can operate a takeaway, drive-through or click and collect service only.
  • Hotels, B&Bs, campsites must close except for limited work or education reasons.
  • Indoor entertainment and tourist venues, including cinemas, casinos, bowling alleys, bingo halls, theme parks, must close.
  • Gyms and leisure facilities can open, but group exercise classes should not go ahead.
  • No crowds allowed at organised events, both indoor or outdoor.
  • Places of worship can remain open, but socialising and attending with those outside of your household is not permitted.
  • People should avoid all unnecessary travel and should reduce the number of journeys they make.

While in Tier Two the following restrictions apply:

  • Different households must not mix indoors, except for support bubbles, and that pubs and bars will have to close, unless they operate as restaurants.
  • Other restrictions in Tier Two areas include: Hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with “substantial meals”.
  • Places of worship can still open, but interacting with anyone outside of your household is not permitted.
  • Crowds can attend socially distanced indoor and outdoor events, with up to 2,000 allowed for outdoor venues and 1,000 for indoor venues.
  • Residents from Tier Two areas, must follow these rules even if they visit a Tier One area.