23 December and Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, has announced that Oxfordshire will enter into the new Tier 4 level of restrictions – which includes a “stay at home” order – from Boxing Day. Oxfordshire will be joining many neighbouring areas in the south-east of England (including London) already in Tier 4.
Tier 4 is the highest alert level in the national four-tier system, and it means that residents must stay at home, except for a limited number of purposes.
Other areas moving to tier four from boxing day are Sussex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, with the exception of the New Forest, and the parts of Essex and Surrey not already in Tier 4.
The government decides which tier applies in each area based on a range of indicators, which are available to view on the COVID-19 dashboard, and include:
- analysis of cases across all age groups
- analysis of cases in the over 60s
- the rate by which cases are rising or falling
- the percentage of those tested in local populations with COVID
- pressures on the NHS
The next formal review of tiering decisions will take place by 30 December.