Watkins Ward Group Investigations Reviews 2020

A review and recap of 2020, so far....

2020 has been full of surprises that no one, not a single one, has ever asked for.

First, the bushfires raging across Australia, burning 18.6M hectares and killing 1B animals. Then, the US drone hit Baghdad International Airport and took down Iranian major general. With war breathing over the shoulder, and racial tensions over police brutality reaching a boiling point, we still gotta deal with the worst pandemic in recent history that killed 693 805 people so far.

England has a three-tier system of restrictions, Northern Ireland is in a two-week circuit-breaker lockdown, and Scotland has its own five-tier system.

Across the UK, some restrictions will be relaxed over Christmas, to allow three households to form a "Christmas bubble".

What are the rules in Wales?

• Two households can form a bubble and will be able to meet in their own homes
• Up to 15 people can meet for organised activities indoors, rising to 30 outdoors
• From 18:00 GMT on Friday, cinemas, bowling alleys, bingo halls, museums and galleries must shut
• Travel throughout Wales is permitted, and from Friday evening, non-essential travel is allowed between Wales and tier one and two areas in England, and level one and two areas in Scotland
• From Friday evening, pubs, restaurants and cafes cannot serve alcohol and must close at 18:00 GMT
• Takeaways of food or non-alcoholic drinks are allowed after that time

People who you don't live with still cannot come into your home socially, unless you are in an extended household (bubble) with them. Tradespeople can enter your home to carry out work.

Read Wales' official guidance.

What are England's new lockdown rules?

All areas have been placed in one of three tiers: medium, high and very high.

About 99% of England has been placed into the high and very high coronavirus risk category - tiers two and three.

The placing of areas in each tier will be reviewed every 14 days, with the first review due by 16 December.

Areas in tier two

• North West: Cumbria; Liverpool City Region; Warrington and Cheshire
• Yorkshire: York; North Yorkshire
• West Midlands: Worcestershire; Herefordshire; Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin
• East Midlands: Rutland; Northamptonshire
• East of England: Suffolk; Hertfordshire; Cambridgeshire (including Peterborough); Norfolk; Essex; Thurrock and Southend on Sea; Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes
• London: All 32 boroughs plus the City of London
• South East: East Sussex; West Sussex; Brighton and Hove; Surrey; Reading; Wokingham; Bracknell Forest; Windsor and Maidenhead; West Berkshire; Hampshire (except the Isle of Wight), Portsmouth and Southampton; Buckinghamshire; Oxfordshire
• South West: South Somerset, Somerset West and Taunton, Mendip and Sedgemoor; Bath and North East Somerset; Dorset; Bournemouth; Christchurch; Poole; Gloucestershire; Wiltshire and Swindon; Devon

Tier two (high) rules

• In tier two you can't socialise indoors with anyone you do not live with, or who is not in your support bubble
• You can meet in a group of up to six outside - including in a garden, or a public place
• Shops, gyms and personal care services (such as hairdressing) can reopen (if Covid-secure)
• Pubs and bars can only open if they serve substantial meals. Alcohol can be served with that meal
• Pubs and restaurants must shut at 23:00 GMT, with last orders at 22:00 GMT
• Sports can resume with up to 2,000 spectators, or 50% capacity (whichever is smaller)
• Collective worship, weddings and outdoor sports can resume (with restrictions)
• Non-essential foreign travel allowed, subject to quarantine rules
• People are advised not to travel to and from tier three areas

Areas in tier three

• North East: Tees Valley Combined Authority (Hartlepool; Middlesbrough; Stockton-on-Tees; Redcar and Cleveland; Darlington); North East Combined Authority (Sunderland; South Tyneside; Gateshead; Newcastle upon Tyne; North Tyneside; County Durham; Northumberland)
• North West: Greater Manchester; Lancashire; Blackpool; Blackburn with Darwen
• Yorkshire and The Humber: The Humber; West Yorkshire; South Yorkshire
• West Midlands: Birmingham and Black Country; Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent; Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull
• East Midlands: Derby and Derbyshire; Nottingham and Nottinghamshire; Leicester and Leicestershire; Lincolnshire
• South East: Slough (remainder of Berkshire is tier 2: High alert); Kent and Medway
• South West: Bristol; South Gloucestershire; North Somerset

Tier three (very high) rules

Additional restrictions apply:

• You can't mix with anybody you do not live with, or who is not in your support bubble, indoors, or in private gardens and pub gardens
• You can meet in a group of up to six in other outdoor spaces, such as parks, beaches or countryside
• Shops, gyms and personal care services (such as hairdressing) can reopen (if Covid-secure)
• Hospitality venues - such as bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants must stay closed, except for delivery and takeaway services
• Spectator sports cannot resume
• Indoor entertainment venues - such as bowling alleys and cinemas - must stay closed
• People are advised not to travel to and from tier three areas
  

Areas in tier one

Only three areas have been placed in the lowest tier:

• South East: Isle of Wight
• South West: Cornwall; Isles of Scilly

Tier one (medium) rules

Areas in the lowest tier will have some restrictions relaxed:

• The rule of six will apply indoors and outdoors
• Spectator sports can resume with a crowd of 50% of capacity, or 4,000 spectators, whichever is smaller

There are exceptions in all tiers for childcare and support bubbles. More details of the plan are here.

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