Wiltshire hits Tier 3

The Wiltshire Council area goes into the COVID-19 Tier 3 'very high' category from one minute past midnight on 31st December 2020.

This means that from tomorrow, greater restrictions will be introduced. They include:

• 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 not meet socially in a private garden or most outdoor public venues with anybody they do not live with or do not have a support bubble with
• People can see friends and family in a group of up to six (limit includes children of any age) in some outdoor spaces including parks, beaches, countryside, forest, public gardens, allotments, grounds of a heritage site, outdoor sports courts and facilities and playgrounds.
• Hospitality settings, such as bars, pubs, cafes, restaurants, and social clubs must close except for takeaway, delivery and click and collect services. This includes restaurants and bars within hotels or member's clubs.

Exemptions apply for the following settings:

• Businesses and venues selling alcohol for consumption off the premises can continue to do so as long as this is through takeaway, delivery service, click-and-collect or drive-through.
• 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.
• Council services such as libraries, outdoor markets and household recycling centres can remain open. Wiltshire libraries will be closed tomorrow (31 December) to prepare for Tier 3 and more information will follow.
• Leisure and sports facilities may continue to stay open, but group exercise classes (including fitness and dance) should not go ahead. For Wiltshire all leisure centres will remain open for Wiltshire Council residents only at their advertised opening hours - this will include the gym and swimming pools however there will be no Group Exercise classes. At this time junior activities, including swimming lessons and gymnastics will continue as advertised in the New Year.
• The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre will remain open but for Wiltshire council residents only and those outside of Wiltshire for business and formal education purposes only. Wiltshire residents can visit for recreational use. Bookings need to be made in advance.

The following venues must also close:

• indoor play centres and areas, including inflatable parks and soft play centres and areas (other than for people who have a disability)
• trampolining parks (other than for elite athletes, people with a disability, supervised activities for children and for formal education or training purposes)
• casinos
• bingo halls
• bowling alleys
• indoor skating rinks (other than for elite athletes, professional dancers and choreographers, people with a disability, supervised activities for children and for formal education or training purposes)
• amusement arcades and adult gaming centres
• nightclubs and adult entertainment venues
• laser quests and escape rooms
• cinemas, theatres concert halls - other than drive-in events, broadcasting performances, training or rehearsal
• circuses
• snooker and pool halls (other than for elite athletes)
• zoos, safari parks, and aquariums
• other animal attractions including farms
• water parks and aqua parks
• model villages
• museums, galleries and sculpture parks
• botanical or other gardens, biomes or greenhouses
• theme parks, fairgrounds and funfairs
• adventure playgrounds and parks, including ziplining
• visitor attractions at film studios,
• heritage sites such as castles, stately homes or heritage railways
• landmarks including observation wheels and viewing platforms

The following outdoor venues can remain open:

• outdoor tourism and entertainment venues subject to following the relevant rules and guidelines
• outdoor cinemas, theatres and concert venues for drive-in only, but must close at 11pm, other than for the purposes of concluding a performance which began before 10pm
• outdoor events, such as funfairs in line with COVID-secure guidance - other than large outdoor performance events (performances, shows and screenings), which must be drive-in only
• retail premises may
• personal care and close contact services such as hairdressers and barbers, beauty salons, tattoo parlours, nail salons, spas and beauty services, saunas, steam rooms, massage parlours and tanning salons
• recycling and waste centres, car parks, and public toilets

More information on the Tier 3 restrictions can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-3-very-high-alert

For the latest information on COVID-19 and all the support available, and more information on the Tiers, visit www.wiltshire.gov.uk/public-health-coronavirus. At this webpage you will also find information about the council's Wiltshire Wellbeing Hub, which is in place to support people who have no network around them, and a directory of the community groups who are located throughout the county ready to provide support.