The Leader of Milton Keynes Council has reminded residents that being placed into Tier 2 is not a "win" for the city.
This comes as on Thursday (26/11) it was announced that the majority of places in the country, including Milton Keynes, will be in Tier 2 from 2nd December - which is high alert.
Under Tier 2 restrictions, households (aside from support bubbles) cannot mix in any indoor setting, the rule of six continues, pubs and bars must close unless operating as restaurants, and entertainment venues must close at 11pm. Full list here.
And although these restrictions apply to the majority of the country, Cllr Marland, Leader of Milton Keynes Council, says that it is not good news and that "six weeks ago it would have been catastrophic".
Milton Keynes has been placed into Tier 2 for a number of reasons, including hospital admissions and case numbers. People are being admitted to hospital for COVID-19 daily, and the current weekly local infection rate is 167 per 100,000 people.
There were 54 new cases yesterday (26/11), taking the total number of infections to 3,559 since the pandemic began.
And now that we are in lockdown it is a "crucial" time to slow the spread of the virus. Residents are being advised to continue to follow lockdown rules (until 2nd Dec when the Tier system begins), and also follow coronavirus prevention measures.
Cllr Marland has also stressed that if somebody is told to self-isolate, then they must, adding: "If people go out, if they mix, if they mix across households [then] the rate will continue to rise and we will not be able to mix, particularly going into Christmas and the New Year and that is just a given. It's likely that more resources are going to be put into enforcement and so we will end up in a really horrible cycle as we've seen in the North."
He gave the example of Leicestershire, which has effectively been under Tier 2 or Tier 3 restrictions since July which Cllr Marland says has had a "huge" impact on people's lives and the economy.
Cllr Marland emphasised the importance of "mixing safely", by responsibly meeting another person outdoors once the city moves into Tier 2, stating: "It's not a request, it's essential. It's essential for the wellbeing of you, the wellbeing of others, making sure that people don't end up in hospital, making sure you don't end up with long covid.
"It is essential to be making sure that we get back to normal as quickly as possible," Cllr Marland concluded, "And there's been a sense of complacency in Milton Keynes that we've had low rates and therefore it will go away on its own. It won't. People have to, unfortunately, stick to the Government guidelines."
You can find the full list of Government guidelines here.
© MKFM News 2020
