A strengthened three-tier system of local restrictions for England has come into place following the end of the second national lockdown on 2 December.
The highest tiers include tough restrictions on socialising indoors, although members of three different households from across the UK will be allowed to mix together without social distancing for five days over Christmas,
Non-essential shops in all areas have been allowed to open, while hospitality venues can now shut at 11pm instead of 10pm. But what about gyms?
Gyms and non-essential shops were forced to close in England since Thursday 5 November, but they have been able to reopen in all areas after lockdown was lifted on 2 December.
There are strict rules in place for those looking to workout, with gym-goers having to book a time slot and all facilities frequently sanitised. Class sizes have also been reduced while equipment has been spread out to allow for social distancing.
Gyms and swimming pools will be able to open in all tiers, although restrictions vary across regions when it comes to class and organised sports.
Previously, gym owners and athletes accused the Government of “ignoring the science” by closing gyms – a move which they claimed would damage the nation’s physical and mental health, and disproportionately affect those living in more densely populated urban areas where there is less outside space to exercise.
Former Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, the chair of grassroots body UK Active, wrote to the Prime Minister urging him to treat gyms and leisure centres as “essential services”.
Which areas are in each tier?
The map below shows the tiers in which all the different areas of England have been placed once lockdown ended:
Here is how the tiers will be split:
Tier 1: Medium alert South East South West Tier 2: High alert North West
Cumbria
Liverpool City Region
Warrington and Cheshire
Yorkshire West Midlands
Worcestershire
Herefordshire
Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin
East Midlands 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 3: Very High alert 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
What are the rules in your area? Tier one: Medium alert
Meeting friends and family: Maximum of six indoors or outdoors, other than single households or support bubbles
Bars, pubs, restaurants: Table service only. Last orders at 10pm, close 11pm
Open: Retail, entertainment, accommodation, personal care, eg hairdressers, beauty salons and nail bars, indoor leisure, eg gyms and swimming
Travelling: Walk or cycle if possible. Avoid travel into tier three areas (except where necessary, eg for work, education, medical attention)
Overnight stays: Permitted, with household, support bubble or up to six people
Work and business: Everyone who can work from home should do so
Education: Open in all tiers. Childcare permitted
Places of worship: Open, but cannot interact with more than six people
Weddings and funerals: 15 guests for weddings, civil partnerships, wedding receptions and wakes; 30 for funerals
Exercise: Classes and organised adult sport can take place outdoors, but must follow Rule of Six indoors. Activities for elite athletes, under-18s and disabled people can continue
Large events, eg elite sport, live performances and conferences: Open to the public, but limited to 50 per cent capacity or 4,000 outdoors/1,000 indoors (whichever is lower)
Tier Two: High alert
Meeting friends and family: No mixing of households indoors, apart from support bubbles. Maximum of six outdoors
Bars, pubs, restaurants: Pubs and bars must close unless operating as restaurants. Hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with substantial meals. Last orders 10pm, close 11pm
Open: Retail, entertainment, accommodation, Personal care, eg hairdressers, beauty salons and nail bars, indoor leisure, eg gyms and swimming
Travelling: Reduce journeys where possible. Avoid travel into tier three areas (except where necessary)
Overnight stays: Permitted, with household or support bubble only
Work and business: Everyone who can work from home should do so
Education: Open all tiers. Childcare permitted
Places of worship: Open, but cannot interact with anyone outside household or support bubble
Weddings and funerals: 15 guests for weddings, civil partnerships, wedding receptions and wakes; 30 for funerals
Exercise: Classes and organised adult sport can take place outdoors, but not indoors between people from different households. Organised activities for elite athletes, under-18s and disabled people can continue
Large events: Open to the public, but limited to 50 per cent capacity or 2,000 outdoors/1,000 indoors (whichever is lower)
Tier three: Very high alert
Meeting friends and family: No mixing of households indoors or most outdoor places except parks, sports courts, public gardens where Rule of Six is in place. Support bubbles exempt
Bars, pubs, restaurants: Closed except sales by takeaway, drive-through or delivery
Open: Retail, personal care, eg hairdressers, beauty salons and nail bars, indoor leisure, eg gyms and swimming
Closed: Indoor venues such as cinemas, indoor bowling, casinos
Travelling: Avoid travelling out of the area, other than where necessary eg for work, education, medical attention
Overnight stays: No overnight stays outside of local area, unless necessary for work, education or similar
Accommodation: Closed (with limited exceptions such as work purposes)
Work and business: Everyone who can work from home should do so.
Education: Open in all tiers. Childcare permitted
Places of worship: Open, but cannot interact with anyone outside household or support bubble
Weddings and funerals: 15 guests for weddings, civil partnerships and wakes; 30 for funerals. Wedding receptions not permitted
Exercise: Classes and organised adult sport can take place outdoors, but people should avoid higher-risk contact activity. Group exercise activities and sport indoors should not take place, unless with household or bubble. Organised activities for elite athletes, under-18s and disabled people can continue
Large events: Events should not take place. Drive-in events permitted
