At 00.01 tomorrow morning, Wirral will be out of lockdown and into Tier 2.
Along with the rest of the Liverpool City Region, which includes Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens and Halton, Wirral’s infection rates have fallen sharply and the borough has been rewarded with being put into Tier 2, rather than the stricter Tier 3.
The ECHO decided to ask people in Wirral what they thought of the new rules.
Many were happy to get some of their freedoms back.
Posting on Facebook, one person said: “I am looking forward to seeing my friends in my garden at a safe distance. We will not be having anybody in our house other than my mum who is in my bubble.
“All other family plans have been put to one side this year. I think that we will move back to Tier 3 after the 5 days of mixing over Christmas.
As Wirral prepares to go into Tier 2, find out how man y Covid-19 cases there are near you
“I feel the government should have let any lone person join a family for Christmas but not the mixing of 3 families. It feels like all the hard work of getting back to Tier 2 will be lost.”
Another social media user said: “Happy to be in Tier 2 to be honest... better than [Tier] 3 for sure!”
Several others agreed, but were worried about a possible spike as the rules are relaxed over Christmas.
One person said: “Necessary evil in my opinion. I will comply within the law.”
While another added: “Better than Tier 3, having said that, are we in a false sense of security? Bet we get put in Tier 3 before New Year (no pubs open, no alcohol, no celebration).”
However, some were deeply frustrated about the new rules, they questioned what the national lockdown was for and worried about the impact Tier 2 could have on businesses.
Under Tier 2 rules, pubs will be able to open and serve alcohol as long as it is served with a substantial meal. Last orders will be called at 10pm, with all premises to shut by 11pm.
Members of different households will not be allowed to mix indoors unless they are part of the same support bubble.
However, you will be allowed to meet up with people outside your household or support bubble in an outdoor setting such as a private garden or a park as long as the group is no larger than six.
One Facebook comment read: “It’s basically no different from the old Tier 3. So we go through a whole month lockdown only to be put back into the tier we were in already.”
Another comment added: “How about the impact on local business, taxi drivers etc this pandemic has had.”
Others who were sceptical about the changes, noted that Wirral has the lowest infection rate in the Liverpool City Region, but has always been put in the same tier as the city of Liverpool which has generally suffered a higher infection rate.
Liverpool’s rate peaked at over 760 cases per 100,000, whereas Wirral’s highest rate was just over 300.
Recently, Covid-19 case numbers have gone down across our region, but Wirral has maintained the lowest infection rate in the borough.
Wirral’s rate is 61 per 100,000 in the seven days up to November 27, lower than Liverpool's rate of 99 in the same period or Halton’s rate of 138, the highest in the city region.
One Facebook comment read: “Should be by postcodes. I know of people who travelled to Cheshire Oaks and got fined because they went out of the last tier.
"Also our rate has always been lower than Liverpool but we had to go by their rules.”
Another person added: “No point, wait until the next tier review, we will be back in Tier 3.”
