Statement following government announcement that Leeds will stay in tier 3

Councillor Judith Blake, Leader of Leeds City Council, said:

“Given the current regional and national picture regarding coronavirus, we anticipated that the government would make the decision to keep Leeds and the West Yorkshire region in tier 3 today.

“As a council we will be continuing to press the city’s case to government for further meaningful assistance to be made available, whilst doing everything in our power to support local businesses and provide help to our most vulnerable residents.

“The recent rise in rates seen in Leeds does underline how critical it is that we continue to work extremely hard to keep ourselves and each other safe. It is vitally important that at this crucial moment we follow strictly the guidance in place if we are to reduce transmission. I urge everyone therefore to please continue to take the steps that are required in terms of social distancing, washing hands and wearing face masks.

“The news today that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use in the UK is extremely positive and a very welcome step in the fight against coronavirus. With our partners in the NHS and West Yorkshire region, we are continuing to move forward with our plans to deliver a major rollout of vaccinations in Leeds from next week.”

Notes to editors:

Since the start of the pandemic Leeds City Council has distributed £170m to local businesses and made the decision earlier this month to extend funding schemes into the New Year.

A brief overview of the Tier 3 guidelines are:

• you must not meet socially indoors or in most outdoor places with anybody you do not live with, or who is not in your support bubble, this includes in any private garden or at most outdoor venues
• you must not socialise in a group of more than six in some other outdoor public spaces, including parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, a public garden, grounds of a heritage site or castle, or a sports facility – this is called the ‘rule of 6’
• hospitality settings, such as bars (including shisha venues), pubs, cafes and restaurants are closed – they are permitted to continue sales by takeaway, click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services.
• Full details are available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-restriction-tiers-what-you-need-to-know#very-high-alert