Health secretary Matt Hancock has announced that Cornwall is to go into Tier One once lockdown ends on December 2.

Cornwall is the only county in the country to go into Tier One along with the Isle of Wight.

Speaking in the House of Commons Health Secretary Mr Hancock said Cornwall had had the lowest infection rates in the country and would be allowed to go onto the lowest tier Tier 1: Medium alert.

He thanked the people of Cornwall for their "vigilance".

He said there is no quick fix to the pandemic but the end is in sight.

"Hope is on the horizon but we still have further to go so we must all dig deep."

Mr Hancock said the tiers will be reviewed in a fortnight and kept “regularly under review after that”.

He told the Commons: “The majority of England will be in Tier 2 but a significant number of areas, I’m afraid, need to be in Tier 3 to bring case rates done.

“Now I know how tough this is both for areas that have been in restrictions for a long time like Leicester and Greater Manchester and also for areas where cases have risen sharply recently like Bristol, the West Midlands and Kent.

“The full allocations have been published this morning and laid as a written ministerial statement just before this statement began. I understand the impact that these measures will have but they are necessary given the scale of the threat that we face.

“We’ll review the measures in a fortnight and keep them regularly under review after that.”

Welcoming the news that Cornwall was going into Tier One, Cornish MP Derek Thomas said: 

"As I predicted Cornwall has just been announced as being in Tier 1 of covid restrictions.

"Thank you to everyone for doing your bit! This is the best possible outcome both for our businesses and families.

"Please let‘s work to keep it this way!"

In tier 1:

  • you must not socialise in groups larger than 6 people, indoors or outdoors, other than where a legal exemption applies.  This is called the ‘rule of 6’
  • businesses and venues can remain open, in a COVID secure manner, other than those which remain closed by law, such as nightclubs
  • hospitality businesses selling food or drink for consumption on their premises are required to:
  • provide table service only, for premises that serve alcohol
  • close between 11pm and 5am (hospitality venues in airports, ports, on transport services and in motorway service areas are exempt)
  • stop taking orders after 10pm
  • 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
  • early closure (11pm) applies to casinos, cinemas, theatres, concert halls, 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
  • public attendance at outdoor and indoor events (performances and shows) is permitted, limited to whichever is lower: 50% capacity, or either 4,000 people outdoors or 1,000 people indoors
  • 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 4,000 people outdoors or 1,000 people indoors
  • places of worship remain open, but you must not attend or socialise in groups of more than 6 people while there, unless a legal exemption applies
  • 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
  • organised outdoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes can continue
  • organised indoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes can continue to take place, if the rule of 6 is followed. 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
  • if you live in a tier 1 area and travel to an area in a higher tier you should follow the rules for that area while you are there. 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 part of a longer journey
  • for international travel see the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office travel advice for your destination and the travel corridors list