PENDLE, including Barnoldswick and Earby, along with the rest of Lancashire will be placed under Tier 3 restrictions, the Government has announced today.

The new restrictions will apply from Wednesday, December 2, following the lifting of the national coronavirus lockdown, and will be reviewed on Wednesday, December 16.

Leader of Pendle Council, Councillor Mohammed Iqbal MBE said: “Pendle will be under the highest tier of restrictions in England when national lockdown ends, as the number of coronavirus cases still remain high in our area.

“We are no stranger to tougher measures and I urge everyone in Pendle to please follow the Tier 3 regulations.

“Some rules are tougher than we had under previous restrictions, such as pubs and restaurants not being able to open.

“Other rules will give us more freedom such as being able to meet with up to six people we don’t live with in outdoor public places such as parks.

“And some relaxation of the previous rules will support our local economy, such as hairdressers and gyms being able to re-open,” he explained.

“But there must be no relaxing in the way we follow the wash hands, make space, cover face rules,” he stressed.

Cllr Iqbal urged people to visit the website www.pendle.gov.uk/coronavirus to check the new regulations and stay safe guidance, including the importance of fresh air and ventilation.

The top Tier 3 restrictions for Pendle mean that:

• Socialising indoors with people you don’t live with is still banned, except for including someone in your support bubble

• You can now meet in a group of up to six people in outdoor public spaces like parks and public gardens

• Hospitality such as pubs and restaurants, holiday accommodation and entertainment venues have to remain closed

• People should work from home where they can

• Shops, leisure centres and gyms, and personal care services such as hairdressers, barbers and beauticians can re-open

• Places of worship can open, but people cannot interact with anyone they don't live with.

Councillor Iqbal added:

“We will lobby the Government for additional financial support for our hard-pressed business community.

“And we are aware that places which are in Tier 3 should be able to access mass community testing so we will be speaking to the Government about that,” he stated.

Deputy Leader, Councillor David Whipp said: “It’s hard, but we need to stay strong and stay safe. We want to say a big thank you to people and businesses across Pendle for your resilience.

“Don’t forget there is help and support available via our Community Support Hub including how to get food, cope with self-isolating and with challenging issues such as domestic abuse www.pendle.gov.uk/communitysupporthub

“And we are working hard to get people the financial support they need, please visit our website www.pendle.gov.uk/covidsupport to find out if you are eligible for a grant.

“Please continue being very careful.

“Together we can bring down the spread of Covid-19 and protect people in our community.

“Let’s keep it up and do it for our friends, families and neighbours."

Angie Ridgwell, chairman of the Lancashire Resilience Forum, said: "We've done so well to drive down the rates of infection, we don’t want to lose those gains now.

"Coronavirus continues to have a devastating effect on our communities and our economy and we know that our hospitality in particular is suffering greatly.

“The sooner we can get these restrictions eased, the sooner these sectors can start to rebuild, so it's more important than ever for us all to play our part."

Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, Lancashire County Council's director of public health, added:

"We are starting to see really positive signs across Lancashire.

“In some areas we are significantly below the national average for coronavirus, and in all areas we are going in the right direction.

"But we have to keep this up, as this will be the fastest way for us to get Lancashire into a lower tier. And the guidance remains the same – hands, face and space.

"It's important as Christmas approaches that we don’t lose all the gains we've made in the last few months.

“What we do before and during the Christmas season matters most to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

“Let’s make smart choices about who we meet and keep everyone safe, until we get a well-functioning test, trace and isolate programme, and of course vaccinations."