Health secretary warns lower-infection areas could 'overtake' neighbours if 'decoupled'

14-Dec-2020 - Last updated on 14-Dec-2020 at 15:05 GMT

Disappointment ahead: 'These carved out areas simply catch up, and often overtake their neighbouring areas,' the health secretary reportedly wrote to MPs

Related tags lockdown Coronavirus

Operators in rural areas hoping to not be grouped in with cities after a review of tiers may be disappointed, according to newspaper reports.

The Government is to announce its review of areas' designated coronavirus measures this week (Wednesday 16 December).

However, it has been reported the Government may not be keen to 'decouple' rural areas with low infection rates from their neighbouring cities with higher rates.

Health secretary Matt Hancock wrote to Tory MPs to say there was a risk these low-infection satellite areas would catch up or overtake their more infectious neighbours, according to the Telegraph newspaper.

This will come as a huge blow to many operators who have been hoping for a reprieve in the tier review.

Several pub operators told The Morning Advertiser (MA) they were frustrated pubs just miles away from them were permitted to trade in a lower tier while they were forced to remain closed.

The health secretary wrote to Lincolnshire MPs Sir John Hayes and Gareth Davies and assured them the Government would “again assess each area [within Lincolnshire] individually”.

He reportedly added: "It is important to note that we know from lived experience over recent months, that where narrow carve-outs take place in the face of higher rates in neighbouring areas, time and again these carved out areas simply catch up, and often overtake their neighbouring areas."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs he would consider a more “granular” approach to tier statuses, ahead of the fractious vote on the tier system.

Local achievement

“We will try to be as sensitive as possible to local effort and local achievement,” Johnson said.

He added: "As we go forward, and I mean this very sincerely, the Government will look at how we can reflect as closely as possible the reality of what is happening on the ground, looking at the incidence of the disease, the human geography and spread of the virus."

Operators have previously said they felt annoyed that their areas with lower infections had been placed in the same tier as more densely-populated areas reporting stronger infection rates.

One licensee commented on The MA Facebook page: “Here in our tiny Cotswold village we are in tier three......while towns four miles either side of us are in tier two.....you couldn't make it up…”

Some areas on the Government tier list are made up of several towns and cities, with varying infection rates. For example, the grouping of tier two East Sussex includes the local authority of Lewes which recorded a rate of 63 cases per 100,000 people in the last week. The grouping also includes Hastings which recorded 346 cases per 100,000.

Trade associations have been calling on the Government to review areas' measures weekly rather than fortnightly, in addition to easing pub-related restrictions and providing more financial support.