Covid19 - Tier 3 Restrictions For St Helens

 The government has told St Helens, together with the Liverpool City Region/Merseyside, that we will be going into tier 3 – the highest level of risk in the new national three-level alert system.

We have been told this is because our hospital admissions are high and increasing. St Helens and Whiston Hospitals have seen the number of COVID-positive patients double over the last week and cases have gone up by 30 over the weekend.

Tier 3 restrictions will come into force from Wednesday 14 October:

• Pubs and bars to require customers purchase a substantial meal alongside the purchase of alcohol. If they cannot do this they must close.
• Gyms and leisure centres to close.
• Betting shops, casinos and adult gaming centres to close.
• No mixing with anyone not from your household or support bubble socially inside or in private gardens, hospitality or certain ticketed venues.
• Rule of six applies in open public spaces like parks and beaches
• Advised against travel outside affected area, except for things like work, education, transit journeys. Those in affected area advised against overnight stays in other parts of the UK. People outside of the area advised against overnight stays in the area.

Further guidance includes:

• Organised sport allowed in outdoor settings.
• Places of worship allowed to stay open with no household mixing allowed.
• Colleges, schools, nurseries and registered childminders can continue to operate.
• Informal childcare bubbles allowed for children under 14.
• 15 people allowed at weddings ceremonies, receptions not allowed.
• 30 people allowed at funerals and up to 15 people at wakes.

This guidance is on top of other guidance in place for St Helens Borough which includes:

• People should work from home wherever possible.
• Face masks are compulsory for bar staff and non-seated customers, shop workers and waiters, and when using taxi or private hire vehicles.
• Fines for not wearing masks or following rules have been increased to £200 for the first offence.
• Late-night restrictions for hospitality requiring them to close between 10pm and 5am.
• Parents should wear face coverings when they arrive at the school gates to pick up or drop off their children and not gather in groups of more than six at the school gates.  
• Schools should continue to stagger drop off/pick up times.
• You are advised to avoid visiting care homes except in exceptional circumstances.

NHS services will continue to be open as normal - it is important that you still attend appointments and follow guidelines to keep safe while attending these.

These are new restrictions, St Helens Council will have updated regulations as things are updated / changed:

https://www.sthelens.gov.uk/coronavirus/latest-updates-and-information/