THE government’s decision to impose Tier 2 restrictions on Wokingham after lockdown is “clearly disappointing” but they could only be in place for two weeks.

That is the message from Cllr John Halsall, leader of Wokingham Borough Council, who believes the borough can return to Tier 1 (medium alert) when the restrictions are reviewed on December 16.

The Tier 2 restrictions will prevent people in Wokingham from meeting and socialising indoors, when they come into effect on December 2.

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“Since lockdown a month ago, cases in Wokingham have been falling,” Cllr Halsall (Conservative) told a council meeting on November 26. 

“It is clearly disappointing to find ourselves in Tier 2 (high alert), but that is because the tiering is harsher than it was and we’ve been grouped with the rest of Berkshire, excluding Slough.

“Our policy is to ensure that as far as we are able to, we will return to Tier 1.

“We believe Tier 1 gives our businesses the best chance to recover and allows our residents to live as fuller life as possible.

“The first review will be based on December 16 and based upon a number of factors, but regrettably it’s not negotiable.”

Health secretary Matt Hancock said more areas have been placed in the top two tiers to “keep people safe and to keep the gains that are being made”.

The Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are the only three areas of the country that have been placed in Tier 1 (medium alert), because they have recorded no cases in the past week.

All areas of Berkshire will move into Tier 2, except Slough, which has been hit with Tier 3 (very high alert) restrictions, after it recorded an extra 469 cases in a week.

The government website states there is “an improving picture across the area (Berkshire) with the exception of Slough and Reading”.

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Wokingham’s seven-day infection rate stands at 109.3 cases per 100,000 and it has been falling steadily since November 12, when it peaked at 155.4.

No serious concerns have been raised about capacity at local hospitals or the percentage of tests that are coming back positive.

During the pandemic, 2,023 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Wokingham and 172 have died after contracting the virus.