Nottingham and Nottinghamshire placed under new lockdown restrictions

Nottingham city and the wider county have been placed under new Tier 2 restrictions by the Government following two weeks of huge rises in postive Covid-19 tests.

The move means that people will be asked not to mix with those from another household indoors – but hospitality businesses such as pubs and restaurants will remain open.

Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We can’t let the virus rip. We need to control the virus by changing our behaviour. I take no pleasure in placing restrictions on business, many of which had gone to great lengths to keep trading.”

Nottingham city’s Covid-19 infection rate has soared from around 12 people per 100,000 in early September to over 830 in the space of just over a month. Many of the city’s areas which are heavily populated by students have been particularly affected,

Earlier today, the University of Nottingham published new figures which revealed that over 1,500 students and 20 staff had tested positive for coronavirus. Nottingham Trent University has yet to publish its figures.

East Midlands Chamber of Commerce chief executive Scott Knowles said: “The principle of a tiered lockdown system makes it much easier to understand than the haphazard
approach we’ve had until this point, which has only served to cause confusion, but it needs to be applied sensibly.

“We know, for example, there have been large spikes of coronavirus cases in a number of university cities, which universities are working to contain. But in these circumstances, the cases are fairly concentrated in certain areas and there are many wards where cases remain relatively low.

“This means decisions on local lockdowns must be based on more than numbers
and instead consider the wider context, such as the extent to which cases are contained within certain communities and the trajectory at which they are increasing or decreasing.

“An exit strategy has to be absolutely clear. Our region was home to the first city to go into local lockdown, when stricter measures were placed on Leicester at the end of June. These have yet to be lifted fully and there are many lessons we can take from the way restrictions have been handled here.”

Jake Third, managing director at Nottingham-based Hallam, told TheBusinessDesk.com: “Nottingham has two different, distinct employment demographics; we have a thriving tech, digital, and creative space made up of professionals that will continue operating through the lockdown and are prepared to enter 2021 with remote work, and Nottingham also has a high proportion of people in the leisure and hospitality sectors, as well as many unemployed who are looking for work.

“We are a resilient city and we will make it through another lockdown. The lived experience of another lockdown will vary greatly depending on which group you are in.”

Elsewhere, in the north west of Derbyshire in High Peak, the wards of Tintwistle, Padfield, Dinting, St John’s, Old Glossop, Whitfield, Simmondley, Gamesley, Howard Town, Hadfield South and Hadfield North will also be placed in Tier 2 from Wednesday.