Government confirms Tier 3 for whole of Lancashire

The government has confirmed that Blackburn with Darwen and the whole of Lancashire will remain in Tier 3.

Following its review of the risk levels of all areas in England, the government announced its decisions earlier today.

For Blackburn with Darwen, this means no changes to the current levels of restrictions.

Council Leader Coun Mohammed Khan CBE, Chief Executive Denise Park and Director of Public Health Prof Dominic Harrison confirmed there had been no negotiations on which tier the borough should be placed in, and the decision had been made solely by government ministers.

Coun Mohammed Khan said:

While it’s pleasing to see that the borough’s Coronavirus rates have decreased over the last few weeks, more recently they have levelled out rather than continuing to drop.

Things are moving in the right direction though, and we can take control of the virus if everyone in Blackburn with Darwen continues to follow the public health guidance.

We want to say a big thank you to everyone in the borough who has done their bit to help get the rates of the virus down, by following the guidance and taking all the necessary precautions to protect themselves and others.

With Christmas approaching, it’s so important to keep up the good work and to not let the sacrifices we’ve all made go to waste. Please continue to comply with the restrictions, and think very carefully when deciding who to meet up with over the festive period.

People in Blackburn with Darwen have started to receive the Coronavirus vaccine. We encourage people to take up the offer of vaccination when the NHS contacts you. It is one of the ways we can build immunity across our communities to control the spread of the virus and get our rates down.

We’re all looking forward to a better 2021, and we all have a part to play in helping Blackburn with Darwen move into a lower tier.

Coun Khan also confirmed that the Council is continuing to ask the government for greater levels of support.

He added:

We know this is an incredibly tough time for businesses that have to remain closed in Tier 3, and we will continue to lobby the government for financial support packages for local businesses. We are also asking for better discretionary support payments for residents who cannot go out to work while they self-isolate.

The next formal review of tiers across England will take place on Wednesday 13 January 2021.

To find out what support is available for residents and businesses, visit the coronavirus section of the Council’s website.

Testing remains one of the best ways we can help control the spread of the virus. Find out how to arrange a test for Coronavirus in Blackburn with Darwen.

The testing sites will remain open over the Christmas bank holidays. Here’s more information about opening times.