It has been confirmed all nine councils have now agreed that Nottingham and Nottinghamshire should move together into Tier 3 restrictions following discussions between Government and Council Leaders.

The ‘Very High’ alert measures come into force at one minute past midnight on Friday 30 October, 24 hours later than originally planned.

Details of a support package for businesses will be made available as soon as possible.

The Tier 3 restrictions mean:

• People must not meet socially with friends and family indoors in any setting unless they are part of their household or support bubble. This includes private homes and indoors in hospitality venues, such as pubs.
• People must not meet with people outside of their household or support bubble in a private garden or in most outdoor public venues.
• People can continue to see friends and family in groups of six or less that they don’t live with (or have formed a support bubble with) in certain outdoor public spaces, such as a park or public garden.
• All pubs and bars must close unless they are serving substantial meals, such as a main lunchtime or evening meal. They can only serve alcohol as part of a meal. Pubs, bars and restaurants must still close between 10pm and 5am.
• Wedding receptions will not be permitted, but people can get married with a maximum of 15 people at the ceremony (check with the venue for additional restrictions).
• Avoid travelling outside the Very High alert area or entering a Very High alert level area, other than for work, education or for caring responsibilities, or to travel through as part of a longer journey.
• Avoid staying overnight in another part of the UK.

As well as the main Tier 3 restrictions, Council Leaders have agreed the following additional local restrictions:

• All hospitality venues (cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs) can only remain open to offer substantial meals, or must move to operate a delivery and takeaway service only. Alcohol can only be served with a substantial meal.
• The use of shared smoking equipment (such as but not limited to shisha) in hospitality venues will be prohibited.
• Betting shops, car boot sales and auction houses (with the exception of Livestock and agricultural equipment sales) must close.
• Alcohol sales must be prohibited after 9pm where alcohol is purchased to consume off premises, for example shops. Alcohol can continue to be purchased in hospitality venues where accompanying a substantial meal, up until 10pm.
• Indoor entertainment and tourism venues must close, except for ice-skating rinks, cinemas, concert halls, and theatres. Hotels and other accommodation can stay open.
• Outdoor entertainment and tourism venues can remain open, with the exception of their indoor attractions (such as animal attractions or landmarks).
• Saunas and steam rooms must close.
• Leisure and sporting facilities (such as leisure centres, gyms, fitness and dance studios, swimming pools and sports courts) can remain open. It is strongly advised that indoor group exercise classes (including dance and fitness classes) should not take place.
• Personal care settings such as tattoo parlours, tanning and nail salons, and piercing services must close. Hairdressers and barber salons can remain open but cannot perform services that are otherwise closed. It is advised that personal care services do not take place in private homes.
• Public buildings such as town and parish halls, community centres and libraries can remain open to run activities such as childcare and support groups. Public buildings should not host events for private hire, such as birthday parties or other social activities. Government and local partners will closely monitor the impact of these new restrictions, which will be in place for 28 days from Friday October 30 and will be kept under review.

As well as the new restrictions, please continue to:

• Wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds.
• Wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will coming into contact with people you do not normally meet.
• Stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing a face covering, or increasing ventilation indoors).

People who have symptoms of Covid-19 – high temperature, continuous cough or loss of taste or smell – must self-isolate immediately and book a test online or by calling 119.

More information

We appreciate there is a lot of information to absorb. We are continuing to work through the guidance for these stricter/additional restrictions and will share FAQs as soon as possible.

More detail about the Tier 3 restrictions are on the Government website here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-covid-alert-level-very-high

Please visit www.rushcliffe.gov.uk for the very latest.

Rushcliffe, Nottingham, Broxtowe and Gedling Council areas are set to move to Tier 3 COVID-19 restrictions following discussions between Government and our Council Leaders.

These measures come into force at 00.01 on Thursday October 29.

The new measures will expire in 28 days and will be closely monitored by Government and local partners.

The single package of measures across these specific areas will be formally announced today (Tuesday October 27) and have been agreed to achieve a sustained reduction in infection rates, especially to help protect our vulnerable residents, the NHS and social care services.

A package of support similar to those secured in other parts of the country has been agreed to help residents and businesses who will be impacted by the new restrictions.

Further measures specific to these areas of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire will also be announced tomorrow.

Our Leader Cllr Simon Robinson said:

“We know we are asking residents and businesses to make ever more sacrifices, but they are necessary to ensure we can restrict transmission of COVID-19 and protect lives.

“The full measures will be outlined as soon as possible. Please play your part to stop the spread of the virus.”

Frustratingly, we are not going to be able to open the revamped play area for the half term holiday. We’re sorry that the refurbishment has taken far longer than planned, it’s tantalisingly close but it is not yet in a state whereby the Council can take back ownership and in turn open it to the public. We’re working with the contractor on an action plan. We’ll post another website update once we know more. Thank-you for your interest as the play area has taken shape.

With the cancellation of the Summer and Christmas Fairs this year, the Buttercross will be made available for local community groups to book through the Festive season on Thursdays from 26 November 2020. If any local community groups wish to have a stall, please contact the Market Manager to discuss the opportunity further. The Market Manager can be contacted by emailing

From the 14th of October, Nottinghamshire and Nottingham enter the “high” alert level, announced by Government on October 12.

This means:

• People must not meet with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place.
• People must not meet in a group of more than 6 outside, including in a garden or other space.
• People should aim to reduce the number of journeys they make where possible. If they need to travel, they should walk or cycle where possible, or to plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport.

We are awaiting a full Frequently Asked Questions list from the Local Resilience Forum but in the meantime many common questions on the changes can be answered here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-covid-alert-level-high

Please also continue to observe the following key behaviours:

• “Hands, Face, Space” which means:
  – Hands – wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds
  – Face – wear a face covering where required, unless you are exempt
  – Space – Maintain social distance of at least 2 metres from anyone you don’t live with or 1 metre plus additional precautions such as extra ventilation, screens or face coverings
• When eating out at a café, pub or restaurant, only with your household or support bubble, all should provide full and accurate contact details. This NHS Test and Trace Service is important for tracking and preventing the spread. The help play your part the NHS COVID-19 App is available to download.
• Only car share with those in your household or support bubble.
• If you have COVID symptoms, get a test and self-isolate. Symptoms include a fever, a new continuous cough, or loss of your sense of taste or smell. Call 119 to book your free test or book online via the NHS website.
• Download the app. The free NHS Covid-19 app is the fastest way to see if you’re at risk from coronavirus. The faster you know, the quicker you can alert and protect your loved ones and community. Go to the app store on your phone and search for the NHS Covid-19 app or visit COVID-19 app information.

Face coverings must be worn:

• In retail premises
• On public transport
• By customers in private hire vehicles and taxis
• By customers in hospitality venues, except when seated at a table to eat or drink
• By staff in hospitality and retail
• By staff working on public transport and taxi driver
• People exempt from the existing face covering obligations include those such as with an underlying health condition

Have you downloaded the NHS COVID-19 App yet?

The NHS COVID-19 App is part of the large-scale coronavirus testing and contact tracing programme, NHS Test and Trace, and we are encouraging everyone to download this and play their part to help stop the spread of the virus.

As you may have seen in the media or from a text message to your phone, the app is available to download from the App Store and Google Play. Please visit https://covid19.nhs.uk for more information.

It will be used, alongside traditional contact tracing, to notify users if they come into contact with someone who later tests positive for coronavirus.

The app will advise you to self-isolate if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case. It will also enable you to check symptoms, book a free test if needed and get your test results.

Please adhere to this advice should you receive it in line with red notifications.