Coronavirus tiers leave landlord raging as he’s forced to shut but half a mile away OPENS | UK | News (Reports)

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Pub landlord Steve Harmes has expressed his frustration regarding the Tier 3 restrictions imposed on Kent. He also outlined his disappointment at Kent being placed into Tier 3 restrictions when the region was under Tier 2 measures prior to the national lockdown. 

Mr Harmes said: “We’re right on the border of Kent and East Sussex, so they’re allowed to open, because they’re in Tier 2, and we’ve been put in Tier 3.

“To be put in that restriction when we weren’t in that Tier before isn’t right, it needs to be changed.

“We’re obviously going to do the best we can, same as everybody that’s in this situation.

“So we’re working hard to sort of find any gap or loop that’s going to be able to give us a chance to get through until when we can open again.

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“I think they’ve got it wrong and it’s unfair.

“I know you want to try and reduce it from all areas but we’re nowhere near the rate of infections that other places have and they’re in Tier 2, so it’s not fair on all the people who are in a good area to be penalised for it.”

He added: 

“We’re losing the Christmas trade, we’ve got everything ready to be open, we’re just so frustrated that now we can’t open and losing more trade when we’ve had a bad year anyway is bad.”

On Thursday during a Downing Street press briefing, Boris Johnson outlined the UK Government’s latest mass testing plan in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

The Prime Minister stated that regions will be initially placed into three tiers and explained how mass testing can rapidly reduce the spread of COVID-19. 

Mr Johnson said: “While that data is beginning to improve the virus is still prevalent and the faster we drive it down the faster we can lift restrictions.

“That is exactly what these new tiers are designed to achieve.

“While the previous tiers slowed the spread of the virus they were never quite enough to cut the R rate down below 1 and keep it there so areas did not escape the level they were placed in.

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“Our new approach is designed to reduce R below 1 opening a path for areas to move down the scale as soon as the situation improves.

“Crucially we now have the means to accelerate that moment of escape with rapid community testing allowing anyone carrying the disease including those without symptoms to isolate and therefore reducing the R.

“The truth is at least 1 in 3 people with Covid have no symptoms at all and may be spreading the disease without knowing they have got it.

“The only way to identify them and protect everyone is through mass testing.

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