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PRIVACY
Enterprise

Plymouth businesses warned city is 'on cusp' of Tier 2 restrictions

More than 1,300 businesses are told it is 'essential' they enforce anti-Covid measures or tough restrictions will be in place within days

Plymouth city centre and waterfront

Plymouth businesses are being warned that the city is “on the cusp” of being placed under Tier 2 restrictions as coronavirus cases continue to mount.

Members of the city’s two Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) have been contacted and told that tougher restrictions could be in force in the waterside Devon city “within a matter of days”.

Plymouth City Centre Company and Destination Plymouth, and Plymouth City Council too, have emailed more than 1,300 businesses to tell them it is “absolutely essential” they comply with Covid-19 measures to protect businesses, employees and the economy as the R rate jumps from 1 to 1.3.

The organisations are still hopeful a shift into Tier 2 can be avoided if everyone “acts now” and stressed that city businesses had been showing “good levels of compliance” with the rules.

In very similarly worded emails the organisations shared information from the council’s public health team.

Businesses have been told the rate of Covid-19 cases in Plymouth has now exceeded 130 per 100,000 people and “the numbers are still increasing”.

The message from the City Centre Company said: “The city is on the cusp of a Tier 2 level which means tougher restrictions – no more than one household or support bubble meeting indoors, and only six outdoors.

“We can expect to enter Tier 2 within a matter of days if this trend continues. However, if we act now, we may be able to make a difference, so we hope alerting the city early enough will prevent us hitting Tier 2.”