Covid-19: Tier 3 'right place' says Hull City Council leader
Tier three is the "right place" for Hull due to high coronavirus rates in the city, a council leader has said.
Hull City Council's Stephen Brady admitted residents may be "tired of restrictions and changing advice" but needed to comply with the rules. The city, which previously had the highest infection rate in England, was placed in the "very high alert" category from 2 December. Restrictions will be reviewed on 16 December . The tougher measures mean households can only meet in public spaces like parks, where the rule of six applies. Infections in the city have been falling in recent days. In the seven days to 22 November, 460 cases per 100,000 people were reported in the city - down from 748.3 the previous week. Mr Brady said: "Tier three is not where anyone wants to be but, with our infection rates still very high, it is what we expected and it's the right place for Hull to be at this time. "This is a very difficult time and we would all like it to be over. What the last few weeks have shown is that, if we can continue to do all we can to minimise spreading the virus, we can continue to bring the rate down and, hopefully, move towards an easing of restrictions." He added that people should think about what's best for the city over Christmas and warned against mixing households, despite the government allowing some limited mixing. In a tweet, MP for Hull East Karl Turner thanked residents for their "hard work and sacrifice". He said: "Tier 3 is sadly still where we need to be, but the government must provide more support for those hit the hardest and a clear route back to lower restrictions." Health Secretary Matt Hancock set out the reasoning behind the tier decisions for each area in a written ministerial statement. Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.