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31 December 2020
Plymouth becomes a Tier 3 Very High Alert area today following changes announced by the Government.
The change in tier means:
- Pubs and restaurants have to close, though they can provide takeaway and delivery services
- Mixing with other households indoors, or most outdoor places, apart from support bubbles, is not allowed. You can meet in groups of up to six in parks and, public gardens
- Museums, including The Box, and indoor entertainment venues will close
- Accommodation, including hotels and B&Bs, must close
- Shops can remain open, as can libraries, places of worship and gyms (though exercise classes cannot take place)
- Plymouth’s Household Recycling Centres at Chelson Meadow and Weston Mill will remain open.
Councillor Tudor Evans, leader of the Council and Chair of Plymouth’s Local Outbreak Engagement Board, said: “It is really important that we all get behind the measures and work together to get the number of cases down, so the restrictions are in place for as short a time as possible.”
 The tier change comes after the rate of COVID-19 cases in Plymouth more than doubled this month, even taking into account the recent Royal Navy cases that were included in the city's figures.
Today there are 208.7 cases per 100,000 people which compares to less than 50 cases per 100,000 people on 8 December.
Ruth Harrell, Director of Public Health for Plymouth, said: “Plymouth is still in a better position than many other parts of the country – and this is reflected in the higher restrictions elsewhere – but the speed of the increase in cases has been a real concern. We must make sure we benefit from the additional new restrictions by working together to reduce the number of cases.
"This will only happen if everyone gets behind it and treats this virus as seriously as they should, especially in the knowledge that the new variant spreads even more easily. While we don’t know for sure whether we have this new variant in Plymouth, it is spreading across the country and so we have to take every precaution.
“We know that the virus spreads in the couple of days before people develop symptoms, so it is safest to behave as if you might have it and be rigorous in following hands, face, space measures at all times.”
The Government has announced changes which mean secondary school pupils in Plymouth will be returning to school a week later than first planned.
Secondary schools and colleges will now only be open to vulnerable children and children of critical workers during the first week of term on or after 4 January.
Children in exam years (Year 11 and 13) will return to face-to-face learning in school the following week (January 11), while other pupils will be back in school on Monday 18 January.
Parents of primary school pupils should return their children to classroom as usual. In Plymouth, most primary schools will start with 4 January but parents are advised to double check their children’s term dates on school websites. Early Years and pupils of special schools and alternative provision will also return to school as usual.
The Government also announced that during the first week of term, secondary schools and colleges will prepare to test as many staff and students for COVID-19 as possible.
The fuller scale of testing will then begin the following week, with those who are in exam years prioritised. In Plymouth, secondary students of all year groups will return to school on 18 January. Parents will be contacted by schools to give their consent for their secondary aged children’s Covid test.
You should check school websites for the latest information for each school.
Remember there are changes to your usual bin collection day over the next week. You can always remind yourself which bin is due for collection by using our online checker.
Christmas trees should be taken to Chelson Meadow Household Recycling Centre and should not be left out for collection.
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