The leader of Rutland County Council has cited pressure on health services as one of the reasons why the county has Tier Two status of Coronavirus restrictions.

His comments follow the government earlier today putting the county in the middle tier of restrictions, despite the county having one of the best weekly rates of infection in the country.

There had been hopes from some county residents that Rutland could be in the lowest Tier One- something that has only occurred in Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

Neighbouring Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Leicester are in the highest level Tier 3.

Coun Oliver Hemsley said: "We recognise that this allocation may be disappointing for residents.

"Although the rate of infections in our area has been falling, sadly this allocation was inevitable and reflects the enormous pressure our local health services is currently under due to the virus.

"We have been lobbying Government to ensure that we were not placed in a higher category to reflect the case rates in areas we border.

"It is now vital that we all pull together and work hard to ensure that this allocation is a temporary measure."

The Tier allocation will be reviewed in 14 days.

In the meantime, Rutland County Council has remined residents of the Tier 2 restrictions.

â—You must not socialise with anyone you do not live with or who is not in your

support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place

â—you must not socialise in a group of more than 6 people outside, including in a

garden or a public space – this is called the 'rule of 6'

â—businesses and venues can continue to operate, in a COVID-Secure manner,

other than those which remain closed by law, such as nightclubs

â—pubs and bars must close, unless operating as restaurants. Hospitality venues can

only serve alcohol with substantial meals

â—Hospitality businesses selling food or drink for consumption on their premises are

required to:

provide table service only, in premises which sell alcohol

close between 11pm and 5am (hospitality venues in airports, ports, transport services and motorway service areas are exempt)

stop taking orders after 10pm

â—Hospitality businesses and venues selling food and drink for consumption off the

premises can continue to do so after 10pm as long as this is through delivery

service, click-and-collect or drive-through

â—Early closure (11pm) applies to casinos, cinemas, theatres, museums, bowling

alleys, amusement arcades, funfairs, theme parks, adventure parks and activities,

and bingo halls. Cinemas, theatres and concert halls can stay open beyond 11pm

in order to conclude performances that start before 10pm

â—public attendance at outdoor and indoor events (performances and shows) is

permitted, limited to whichever is lower: 50% capacity, or either 2,000 people

outdoors or 1,000 people indoors

â—public attendance at spectator sport and business events can resume inside and

outside, subject to social contact rules and limited to whichever is lower: 50%

capacity, or either 2,000 people outdoors or 1,000 people indoors

â—places of worship remain open, but you must not socialise with people from

outside of your household or support bubble while you are indoors there, unless a

legal exemption applies

â—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 such

as wakes or stone settings.

â—organised outdoor sport, and physical activity and exercise classes can continue

â—organised indoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes will only be

permitted if it is possible for people to avoid mixing with people they do not live

with (or share a support bubble with). There are exceptions for indoor disability

sport, sport for educational purposes and supervised sport and physical activity for

under-18s, which can take place with larger groups mixing

â—you can continue to travel to venues or amenities which are open, but should aim

to reduce the number of journeys you make where possible

â—if you live in a tier 2 area, you must continue to follow tier 2 rules when you travel

to a tier 1 area. Avoid travel to or overnight stays in tier 3 areas other than where

necessary, such as for work, education, youth services, to receive medical

treatment, or because of caring responsibilities. You can travel through a tier 3

area as a part of a longer journey

â—for international travel see the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

travel advice for your destination and the travel corridors list

Further information about the Tier System can be found here.

For help and support in Rutland visit: www.rutland.gov.uk/coronavirus