Could We Be Facing a Tier 4?

In an interview with BBC News over the weekend, Secretary of Health and Social Care Matt Hancock admitted that there was a possibility of adding a 4th tier to the current measures. This came after he declared that the Government would “rule nothing out” when questioned on the possibility of adding another tier.

Although the three tier system is managing to slow the number of positive COVID-19 cases, the cases are still rising. A fourth tier could be put in place to stop the number of positive cases, as many Medical Experts do not believe the three tier system will be able to bring the R rate below 1.

If a fourth tier was to be added, it would take the measures in England closer to those in Scotland, which currently has five tiers. The Scottish fourth tier is closer to a full lockdown, and consists of non-essential businesses being closed, and up to 4 people from two different households being able to meet outdoors. However, this is not currently in place in Scotland.