How long will tier system last and how often will it be reviewed?

A revised tier system will be put in place in England once the national lockdown is lifted on December 2.

Boris Johnson outlined changes to the original tier system yesterday, which will see those in the highest tiers face tougher control measures to drive the R number below one.

A decision on which tier each area of England will be placed in is due on Thursday (November 26).

But how long are these measures expected to last and how often will the tiers be reviewed?

The regulations will be put into law until the end of March, when they will expire.

From December 2, when the tier system comes into force, tiering decisions will need to be reviewed every two weeks.

In reality, the government is likely to review which areas are in which tiers on a more regular basis as new data is released.

Local lockdown restrictions were previously reviewed once a week, with decisions announced by the Department of Health every Friday.

Decision makers will be looking at a number of factors when deciding which tier to place areas in.

These include:

• cases numbers in all age groups
• cases numbers specifically in the over 60s
• rates by which cases are falling or rising
• infection rates per 100,000 people
• the projected pressures on the NHS

Local leaders in areas heading into a Tier 3 lockdown will no longer be invited to discuss the move with the government, as they were last time around.

The government will instead be imposing restrictions on areas under Tier 3.

The end of national lockdown means that non-essential shops, gyms and personal care services across England will be able to reopen from December 2.

Weddings and outdoor sports will be able to resume and the restriction limiting people to meeting one person from another household in outdoor spaces will end with a return to the rule of six.

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Hospitality venues will be able to reopen to guests in Tier 1 and 2, although they will be limited to table service, and those in Tier 2 will only able to serve alcohol with “substantial” meals.

The 10pm curfew will be eased, with last orders at 10pm and an hour’s drinking-up time.

In Tier 3, pubs and restaurants will be restricted to deliveries and takeaways only.

Indoor entertainment venues will also remain shut.