Warrington has been confirmed as being a “high risk” area in the new national three-level coronavirus alert system, but no new restrictions are currently planned for the town.
Following the national announcement this afternoon, Monday 12 October, the government has confirmed that Warrington’s current restrictions will remain the same – in line with the new three-tier model, which defines the town as being a ‘high risk’ location.
What are the restrictions for Warrington?
The current national restrictions are:
- Use of public transport for essential purposes only
- Allow only 15 people to attend weddings, civil ceremonies and receptions
- Face coverings must be worn in hospitality settings when not sat at your table, and in taxis (unless exempt)
- Hospitality for food and drink must be table service only
- Late night restriction of operating hours, with hospitality, leisure and entertainment venues required to close between 10pm and 5am
- Workers who can work from home, should do so
- People are advised against spectating at amateur/semi-professional sports
The additional measures currently in place across Warrington are that, unless you’ve formed a household support bubble, you cannot:
- host people you do not live with in your home or garden
- meet people you do not live with in their home or garden, whether inside or outside the affected local areas
- meet with people who you do not live with in indoor settings, whether inside or outside of the affected local areas (COVID-secure schools and workplaces do not apply)
We all need to pull together
Leader of the Council, Cllr Russ Bowden, said: “The government announcement today is a fair reflection of the current situation in Warrington. We need to be doing all we can as a town to bring the number of cases of coronavirus down – whilst ensuring we protect as many jobs as possible – so I’m pleased that the government has listened to our arguments as a council and positioned us in the second tier.
“This is the right decision for Warrington. It gives us a fighting chance of avoiding being put into the ‘very high risk’ tier which, make no mistake, could be a real blow to our local businesses and jobs, particularly in the hospitality sector.
“We pushed hard for the current restrictions to remain in place and not to be escalated. Once again, we all need to pull together and do our bit, for ourselves and for our loved ones, to turn around the trend of increasing coronavirus cases in town. Put simply, if our case numbers don’t come down, there’s the very real chance of our hospitality and leisure sectors closing in line with the measures for ‘very high risk’ areas.
“As always, we will keep the situation under review with our health colleagues, looking at the latest data and working with our partners to ensure that the right decisions for Warrington are being made.
“In the meantime, please keep doing all you can. Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, keep your distance from others, wear a cloth face covering when you need to and don’t mix with other households. Importantly, if you have any symptoms of coronavirus, however mild, self-isolate immediately and book a test.”
For the latest coronavirus guidance for Warrington, visit the coronavirus pages on our website.
What is the new, tiered model?
The new model separates places into three new bands – medium risk, high risk and very high risk.
- Medium risk areas must follow existing national measures, including the rule of six and the 10pm-5am closure of hospitality, leisure and entertainment venues
- High risk areas must follow the same rules as medium risk areas, but households also cannot mix indoors by law, and meeting other households outdoors is not advised
- Very high risk areas have the same rules in place as medium and high risk areas, as well as pubs, bars and gyms having to remain fully closed by law, with a furlough-style support scheme in place. Non-essential travel outside of the affected area is also not advised
