Christmas Bubbles reduced to just one day

West Yorkshire remains in Tier 3 and North Yorkshire in Tier 2, after the government announcement that a third of England's population will move to a new higher Tier 4 set of restrictions.

The new Tier 4 applies to millions of people across London and the South East from midnight tonight (Saturday 19th December), while new announcements also mean that people won't be able to travel in and out of Wales or Scotland for Christmas.

In addition, across all areas of England the Christmas Bubbles will now only be allowed to be formed for one day - Christmas Day - rather than the previously planned 5-day period.

Bradford Council Leader, Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, said: “I am relieved that Bradford, along with the rest of West Yorkshire and the North of England, is not being placed under the Government’s new Tier 4 restrictions. I want to thank everyone in the district for your efforts in keeping the infection rate low. But the infection rate is not going down as quickly as it was, so we need to be on our guard. I know the changes to the Christmas Bubble restrictions from five days to only Christmas Day will come as a massive disappointment to many people who will now be rethinking their plans.

“When the Government announced the relaxation of restrictions for Christmas on 24 November I voiced my concerns about the risk of allowing people to socialise in bigger groups for five days, and a resulting potential increase in infection rates early in the New Year. Now we are clearly in a precarious position as a nation. Only a few thousand people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 so far and news about a new mutation of the virus is very worrying. It is all the more reason for everyone to be careful over the festive period.

“Sadly we cannot relax just because it’s Christmas. I would urge people to follow the crucial ‘hands, face, space’ advice to avoid a serious risk of further spikes, a rise in infection rates and, sadly, more tragic deaths. Please try to find alternative, and safe, ways of celebrating Christmas, and stay local.”

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