The Government has announced that Portsmouth will be moving to Tier 4 from midnight tonight, as part of changes affecting London and parts of the South East.
This means that Tier 4 restrictions and guidance must be followed from Sunday 20 December, in a bid to reduce the spread of the virus.
We know this will no doubt be disappointing, as it will mean many of you will have to change your plans. We know some people were looking forward to being able to see a limited number of family or friends over Christmas.
Portsmouth has been put into Tier 4 restrictions as the rate of the infection is increasing rapidly in the city and we can’t put any further pressure on the NHS. Making these sacrifices now could prevent an even larger spike of cases in January and February, keeping us all safer until we can get vaccinated.
This news is another blow at the end of a difficult year but with the vaccination programme rolling out, we should be able to end 2021 in a much better place. Portsmouth has shown time and time again that by working together we can slow the spread of this virus - so we're asking you to keep sticking to the rules as so many of you have done to date.
What the new rules mean
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You must not leave or be outside of your home unless you have a specific purpose or a 'reasonable excuse', including work, volunteering, essential shopping, education, childcare, exercise, medical reasons, to escape harm and for communal worship and funerals.
- Non-essential shops and personal care, such as hair and nail salons, will have to close. Hospitality, such as cafes and restaurants, will continue to be restricted to takeaway services, click-and-collect, drive through and delivery.
- If you need to travel, you should stay local. This means avoiding travelling outside of the part of the city where you live, and you should look to reduce the number of journeys you make overall.
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Do not meet socially indoors - in any venue, public or private - with those you do not live with or those in your support bubble. You can meet one other person outside your household outdoors, but should maintain 2m social distance.
These rules will not be relaxed for Christmas.
What we know about the new variant of coronavirus
The Government has made the changes because the virus is spreading more rapidly in London and parts of the South East. They believe the spread is being driven by a new variant of the virus, there is no suggestion this causes any more serious illness. We don't currently have any information about how prevalent the new strain is in Portsmouth, but have asked the government for this information and will share it as soon as we can.
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