As reported by News OnTheWight yesterday (Thursday), anticipating the tier system coming back into place after the lockdown top council officials are urging the Isle of Wight to comply so it can remain at the lowest restriction levels.
Before the second national Covid-19 lockdown was enforced last week, local authorities had been placed into a tier system with different levels of restrictions for different areas.
Island was in Tier 1
The three tier system saw tougher restrictions on areas were cases were more prevalent, so the Island remained in the lowest category adhering to social distancing measures and also the rule of six, which meant cafes, restaurants and pubs, as well as hairdressers, barbers, and other non-essential shops could remain open.
Metcalfe: Community must make the best of this period
Looking to the end of lockdown, chief executive of the Isle of Wight Council, John Metcalfe, has been reiterating the need for the Island’s residents to stick to guidance so it can remain likely we slot back into tier one, the least restrictive tier.
Speaking at the second public meeting of the Local Outbreak Engagement Board yesterday (Thursday), he said,
“I very much hope the results of the lockdown mean we as an Island come back out in tier one as it will give us the freedoms and flexibility to enjoy the things we had before the lockdown and not subject us to restrictions that were applied elsewhere.
“But we will only do that if as a community we make the best of this period in time now to follow all the rules and the guidance and make sure we can come out at tier one.”
Perera: We are still dealing with the second wave
Assistant chief executive, Wendy Perera, said it was made very clear by health bosses that we are still dealing with the second wave, and while there is additional testing and a vaccine coming forward there are still things we can do to keep ourselves and the communities safe.
She said:
“Some of the things we can do to ensure we retain those freedoms is to continue with the good work the community is doing and really think about how we are mixing with our friends and colleagues outside our homes as it is those sort of situations, mixing households and mixing socially, we need to be concerned about in terms of community spreading.”
The national lockdown is supposed to end on 2nd December, but government officials have not ruled out extending the lockdown if necessary.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may be been made by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: United Nations under CC BY 2.0
