Mansfield 'not included' in Tier 3 lockdown talks for Nottinghamshire

Discussions about moving Nottingham and other parts of the county up from Tier 2 to the highest level of the new three-tier lockdown system began yesterday, Thursday, October 22 between the Government and Nottinghamshire County Council.

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It is expected that the city of Nottingham will enter Tier 3 as early as next Monday, along with Gedling, Broxtowe and Rushcliffe, but that Mansfield will be excluded.

Updaying his constituents yesterday afternoon, Ben Bradley, the Conservative MP for Mansfield, said: “We're not included in internal Tier 3 talks today, which are limited to the city and surrounding areas – not North Notts. Our lobbying has paid off.”

Nottingham’s weekly coronavirus infection rate is the second highest in England, with 610.1 new cases per 100,000 people, though that is down considerably from 926.7 the previous week.

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Mansfield’s latest Covid-19 infection rate is 221.4, up from 109.8 the previous week.

Mansfield and other parts of Nottinghamshire are currently under Tier 2 restrictions, meaning different households are banned from mixing indoors but can still do so outside at public venues including pubs and restaurants and in private gardens.

Under Tier 3 restrictions, pubs and bars not serving substantial meals are forced to close, with some support provided, and different households are banned from mixing in public gardens and in most outdoor public venues.

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Liverpool, Greater Manchester and Lancashire are already ‘very high’ alert levels, with South Yorkshire set to join them from Saturday, October 24.