Wiltshire confirmed to be in Tier 2 ‘high’ category

The Wiltshire Council local authority area has been confirmed to be in the Government’s Covid-19 Tier 2 ‘high’ category, which will replace the national restrictions on 2 December.
stay at home graphic

This is a different tier that the county was in before the current national restrictions and it means from Wednesday 2 December:

  • People must not socialise with anyone they do not live with or who is not in their support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place.
  • People must also not socialise in a group of more than six people outside, including in a garden or public space.
  • Businesses and venues can remain open in a Covid-secure manner, other than those which are closed by law.
  • Pubs and bars must close, unless they are operating as restaurants.
  • Hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with substantial meals.
  • Hospitality businesses selling food or drink for consumption on their premises are required to provide table service only. In premises which sell alcohol, they need to close between 11pm and 5am with some exemptions, and stop taking orders after 10pm.
  • Education settings remain open.
  • Council services such as leisure centres and libraries will be able to open their doors to the public again. Leisure centres are due to open on 3 December and a date for libraries to reopen will be confirmed in due course. 
  • Weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on numbers of attendees - 15 people can attend wedding ceremonies and receptions, 30 people can attend funeral ceremonies, and 15 people can attend linked commemorative events.
  • Outdoor street markets will be able to sell full range of items, not just food. 
  • Places of worship remain open, but people must not attend or socialise in groups of more than six people while there, unless there's a legal exemption.

The tiers will be regularly reviewed, with the first review scheduled for 16 December.

The Government has also confirmed that, regardless of tier, three households can form a Christmas bubble between 23to the 27 December, but once this bubble has been formed, it cannot be changed.

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Watch Wiltshire Council's latest Covid-19 update

Wiltshire Council is hosting another online Covid-19 public update on Tuesday 8 December at 5pm.

Wiltshire Council Leader, Cllr Philip Whitehead, will once again be joined by Terence Herbert, Chief Executive of Wiltshire Council, and Kate Blackburn, Director of Public Health to talk through the latest information and answer questions.

You can submit a question in advance by emailing communications@wiltshire.gov.uk no later than 5pm on Sunday 6 December.

Find out more 

Covid-19 is still very prevalent and will be here for some time to come, so I advise everyone to keep social distancing, have good hand hygiene, wear a mask and self-isolate when required to do so.

If we maintain that behaviour and everyone plays their part, then there’s no reason why we can’t move to the lowest tier and then eventually get to the other side of this.

Cllr Philip Whitehead, Leader of Wiltshire Council