Covid-19: Northamptonshire was 'hair's breadth' from tier 3

Northamptonshire was a "hair's breadth" away from being moved into tougher tier three Covid-19 restrictions, its director of public health said.

The county will remain under tier two rules, as it has been since England's second national lockdown ended.

Lucy Wightman, director of Public Health Northamptonshire, said people should remain "vigilant".

The government said the picture in the county was "mixed," but does "not warrant inclusion in tier three".

Northampton South MP Andrew Lewer said he was "relieved" at the news.

The decision comes despite Northampton having the highest weekly case rate - 232 cases per 100,000 people in the week to 12 December - of any place in tier two after the latest tier allocation.

The town has the 89th-highest rate in England.

In the latest government data, four districts in the area showed a week-on-week rise in cases, though Kettering, Corby and Daventry saw a fall.

Mrs Wightman said: "Northamptonshire, and Northampton in particular, are a hair's breadth away from moving in to tier three.

"Although it is welcome news from an economic perspective, we are asking people to remain really vigilant.

"Just because they can do something, should they?"

With neighbouring areas such as Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, Peterborough, Warwickshire and Leicestershire all now sitting in tier three, Mrs Wightman said there were a "number of conversations" about Northamptonshire.

She added: "Am I surprised? No.

"I know the government is taking into consideration the hard work we are undertaking locally.

"But they do recognise Northampton was touch and go, and if we don't see considerable decline in our case rates over Christmas then we are highly likely to see changes in the new year."

The allocation of tiers is dependent on factors including each area's case numbers, the reproduction rate - or R number - and the current and projected pressure on the NHS locally.

Tier two rules mean people cannot socialise with other households indoors and the rule of six will apply outdoors.

Pubs and restaurants can remain open, but food can only be served with a substantial meal.

Different rules for meeting friends and family will apply over Christmas.

Tier allocations will be reviewed every 14 days, and the regional approach is due to last until March.

There are exceptions for some of the tier two rules, for childcare and support bubbles.

The announcement means Northampton Town Football Club will still be able to welcome 2,000 fans for their League One home game with Lincoln City on 19 December.

The Department of Health and Social Care said: "The overall picture remains mixed in Northamptonshire.

"Case rates are broadly increasing across the area, but case rates in over 60s are decreasing across the majority of the area.

"The epidemiology indicators do not currently warrant inclusion in Tier 3."

It added the number of daily Covid hospital admissions in the county continues to rise and has doubled in the last 14 days.