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Portsmouth to move to Tier 2: City MP responds

By 26 November 2020No Comments

This morning the Government has announced that Portsmouth will move into Tier Two of restrictions following the second national lockdown due to finish on 2 December.

This tier is higher than the tier Portsmouth was in prior to lockdown, in light of the volume of cases still prevalent in the city.

Responding to the announcement from Government following the statement in the House of Commons by the Health Secretary, Stephen Morgan MP said:

“I know recent news about vaccines is really encouraging for so many in Portsmouth, but we need to be honest: the threat from this virus is still very real and the Government is therefore not releasing restrictions too quickly.

Ministers must make sure additional restrictions to protect public health come side by side with economic support. There are so many pubs, restaurants and small businesses in Portsmouth which are particularly worried what today’s announcement means for them as we enter the crucial Christmas period. That’s why I’ve been calling for an expansion of the business support package to help those local businesses affected.

After so much confusion over previous tiers we need total clarity this time. Ministers must explain why areas have been put into tiers and the criteria for moving between tiers.

To ensure the confidence of the public, communication is crucial over the next few weeks. The tiers will only be successful if Government provides far better communication with decisions based on scientific evidence for Portsmouth people”.

Tier 2 is classified as ‘High Alert’. This is for areas with a higher or rapidly rising level of  infections, where some additional restrictions need to be in place.

The Portsmouth South representative has been taking a range of actions to ensure constituents’ views are heard on the restrictions, including lobbying Ministers, raising concerns on the impact of specific measures with Government and submitting parliamentary questions.

To find out what the Government’s decision means for our area visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-restriction-tiers-what-you-need-to-know