News
BD COVID update: more areas of England enter Tier 4 from midnight tonight
- Written By: British Dressage
- Published: Wed, 30 Dec 2020 17:29
The government has announced a number of areas in England that will enter Tier 4 as of midnight tonight, bringing 78% of the population under the level. As confirmed ten days ago, when Tier 4 was first introduced, all organised BD competition and training activity will be suspended in these areas until the status is reviewed and lowered.
All other areas of England, apart from the Isles of Scilly, will be upgraded to Tier 3 status from Tier 2. BD competition and training activity is permitted to continue in Tiers 1, 2 and 3 in England under our COVID protocols, providing all social distancing and hygiene measures are strictly adhered to.
However, members who reside in regions with Tier 4 restrictions should not travel out of their area to take part in any BD activity. We also advise those who live in Tier 3 to stay local and not travel out of your area where possible.
Venues in Tier 3 should not accept entries from any competitors based in Tier 4 areas and judges or stewards who reside in Tier 4 are strongly advised not to travel out of the area to officiate.
Tier 4 restrictions now apply in the following areas from 31 December onwards:
- Leicester City
- Leicestershire (Oadby and Wigston, Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, Blaby, Charnwood, North West Leicestershire, Melton)
- Lincolnshire (City of Lincoln, Boston, South Kesteven, West Lindsey, North Kesteven, South Holland, East Lindsey)
- Northamptonshire (Corby, Daventry, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Northampton, South Northamptonshire, Wellingborough)
- Derby and Derbyshire (Derby, Amber Valley, South Derbyshire, Bolsover, North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield, Erewash, Derbyshire Dales, High Peak)
- Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (Gedling, Ashfield, Mansfield, Rushcliffe, Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood, Nottinghamshire, Broxtowe)
- Birmingham and Black Country (Dudley, Birmingham, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton)
- Coventry
- Solihull
- Warwickshire (Rugby, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Warwick, North Warwickshire, Stratford-upon-Avon)
- Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (East Staffordshire, Stafford, South Staffordshire, Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Staffordshire Moorlands, Newcastle under Lyme, Tamworth, Stoke-on-Trent)
- Lancashire (Burnley, Pendle, Blackburn with Darwen, Ribble Valley, Blackpool, Preston, Hyndburn, Chorley, Fylde, Lancaster, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire, Wyre)
- Cheshire and Warrington (Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Warrington)
- Cumbria (Eden, Carlisle, South Lakeland, Barrow-in-Furness, Copeland, Allerdale)
- Greater Manchester (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan)
- Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees)
- North East (County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Sunderland)
- Gloucestershire (Gloucester, Forest of Dean, Cotswolds, Tewkesbury, Stroud, Cheltenham)
- Somerset Council (Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton, South Somerset)
- Swindon
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Isle of Wight
- New Forest
This is in addition to the areas already in Tier 4, covering London, large parts of the South East and East Anglia, including Kent, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Sussex, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hampshire.
In addition, the following areas will move into Tier 3 status from tomorrow:
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Telford & Wrekin
- Worcestershire
- Herefordshire
- Liverpool City Region
- York and North Yorkshire
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Devon, Plymouth, Torbay
- Cornwall
- Dorset
- Wiltshire
As a reminder, the restrictions that apply in Tier 4 include the following general guidelines:
- People should stay at home, except for specific purposes such as work or education
- No household mixing is allowed, aside from support or childcare bubbles, although two individuals can meet in public outdoor spaces.
- All non-essential shops must close, along with bars, pubs and restaurants, who can continue to offer a takeaway or delivery service only.
- All indoor entertainment venues must close, along with gyms, indoor swimming pools, indoor sports courts and dance studios.
- People should not leave Tier 4 areas or travel abroad, other than for specific purposes such as work and education.
Activities still permitted include:
- Meeting with one other person from another household in an open public space
- Shopping for essential items, such as food and medicine.
- Outdoor pools, outdoor sports courts, golf courses and riding centres can open for individual activity or up to maximum of two participants.
- You can leave home for work, if you are unable to do so from home, as well as education, training, childcare and for medical appointments or emergencies.
- Support and childcare bubbles are still permitted.
Please check the postcode for the area you and / or your horse reside in, or the venue you are planning to visit, in order to confirm their status and the level of restrictions that apply.
As a reminder, the whole of Wales is also currently in lockdown and all BD training and competition activity remains suspended. Mainland Scotland is currently in Level 4, which permits organised sporting activity within the local area, although mandatory travel restrictions remain in force.
We’re grateful to members for their patience and compliance at this time. Please be assured we will continue to monitor the situation closely and have a number of contingency options in place regarding competitions that are due to take place in January. We will keep members informed as these plans continue to evolve and will provide updates as soon as is practicable in the New Year.
