When is the next Covid tiers announcement and where will Northamptonshire wind up?

County could be split in two with worst affected areas in Tier Four
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Northamptonshire could be heading for a north-west split when the Government announces its latest tier review today.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will address Parliament at around 2.30pm on Wednesday afternoon just eight days after putting the entire county into Tier Three in response to the discovery of a faster-spreading variant of the virus.

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He is expected to confirm millions more people across the country will face tougher restrictions amid surges in coronavirus cases.

Official figures last night revealed a record 588 new positive Covid-19 tests in Northamptonshire during the latest 24-hour period up to 4pm on December 28 with more than 2,500 during the previous week.

Northampton, South Northants, Daventry — which will form the new West Northants unitary authority from April 2021 — have all seen big rises in the weekly rate of positive tests per 100,000 people in the last month.

Yet rates in what will become the new North Northants area in Kettering, Corby and East Northants remain more manageable.

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Wellingborough also saw big rises before Christmas but has recovered in the last few days, according to figures published on the Government’s Covid dashboard.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will make his latest announcement in Parliament on WednesdayHealth Secretary Matt Hancock will make his latest announcement in Parliament on Wednesday
Health Secretary Matt Hancock will make his latest announcement in Parliament on Wednesday

Public Health Director Lucy Wightman has acknowledged the possibility of different areas of Northamptonshire being put into different tiers.

She said recently: "If further restrictions do need to be applied, I'm hoping we can do it in the areas that need it most rather than having a whole-of-county approach.

"We have seen other areas start to be split up, so I'm sure they are considering what will be most appropriate.

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"They are trying to understand human geography, so if you see a lot of commuting to and from different areas they may choose to apply restrictions to a whole county because they won't see how you could be able to control rates in different areas."

How the number of positive tests have increased across Northamptonshire since the last lockdown ended, using figures from the Government's Covid dashboardHow the number of positive tests have increased across Northamptonshire since the last lockdown ended, using figures from the Government's Covid dashboard
How the number of positive tests have increased across Northamptonshire since the last lockdown ended, using figures from the Government's Covid dashboard

Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired a meeting on Tuesday night ahead of today’s latest Winter Plan announcement.

Numbers of NHS beds occupied by Covid-19 patients in England on Tuesday was 21,787 — up from 20,426 on Monday, a rise of 1,361 in a single day.

Five of the seven NHS regions are currently reporting a record number of hospital patients including the Midlands, which includes Northamptonshire.

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Milton Keynes was among one of three neighbouring areas put into Tier Four before Christmas but the rate of new cases has continued to rise and reached 900 on December 23.

Northamptonshire will be run by two new local councils from April 2021Northamptonshire will be run by two new local councils from April 2021
Northamptonshire will be run by two new local councils from April 2021

Nearby Bedford, which was also escalated to Tier Four — shutting non-essential shops and limiting mixing to with just one other person from outside your household and only outdoors — rose to 627.

Northamptonshire’s rate on the same day was 309, using confirmed Public Health England data, but 382 in Northampton and 375.7 in South Northants.

But the county has seen another 2,200 new positive tests reported in the last six days, adding to the pressure for more action.