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Quiet villages furious after being put into high tiers despite low coronavirus cases
27 November 2020, 08:00
Rural villages across England with low COVID cases have seen themselves plunged into tier two or three.
Health Secretary outlines restrictions in each tier
The Government announced this week which tier each area of England will fall into following lockdown on December 2.
Boris Johnson and health officials have been stricter with the tiers this time around, leaving only three areas across England in tier one.
READ MORE: Government announce full list of areas in each Tier in new England lockdown system
Rural villages across England with low coronavirus cases are among the people unhappy with the latest announcement.
Some quiet villages have found themselves put into tier two or three just because they are in the same county as an area with high infection rates.
For example, Kent village Penshurst has only seen three cases of the virus in the past week, but is still being plunged into the tightest restrictions with tier three.
In the same way, Dorset fishing village West Bay – the only place in England with no positive coronavirus cases since March – has been put into tier two.
Conor Burns, Dorset MP Conor, told the Daily Mail: "It is very unfair.
"Because we have a slightly older demographic, people have been very sensible and cautious – but we are now being given tighter controls."
Lancashire village Ribble Valley have found themselves in tier three this week, despite reporting only 117 cases of the virus in the week up to November 22.
This is because areas in their county like Preston, Burnley and Blackburn are recording high cases.
Parish council chairman and farmer Hayden Fortune said: "That people can't go and sit and have a meal with their own family, sitting apart from the next table, is madness."
He added: "It is killing these villages."
