Cornwall's MPs say they expect the Duchy will remain in Tier One when the Government reviews restrictions.

The Government has met today to review the tier system across England, but the formal announcement of which tier each area is in is not expected until Thursday.

London, parts of Hertfordshire and most of Essex have already moved from Tier Two to Tier Three today.

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, along with the Isle of Wight, is the only area in the country in the lowest Tier One following the November lockdown.

And with the number of cases of coronavirus remaining low in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, it is widely expected that the area will remain in Tier One.

But Cornwall's MPs stressed the importance of people sticking to guidelines to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay, said:

"In Cornwall, I am hopeful we will remain in Tier One when the review is carried out due to the small amount of cases we have in the Duchy compared to the rest of the country.

"However we have seen an increase in cases in recent days so we all need to do all we can to keep to the rules and behave responsibly, especially over Christmas, to prevent the spread of the virus and avoid tighter restrictions at a later date."

Derek Thomas, MP for St Ives, added:

"England on average has seven times the rate of infection than Cornwall and Scilly. I have not seen or am aware of any convincing case to change us from Tier 1.

"This is to the credit of everyone here in the Duchy and I know we can continue to keep Covid-19 at bay. I have huge sympathy for everyone caught up in the other tiers and hope that we can put these restrictions behind us at the earliest possible opportunity next year."

Under Tier One people are allowed to meet up under the rule of six and are also able to go out to pubs and restaurants with others, again using the rule of six.

All shops are also able to open along with leisure facilities such as cinemas, gyms etc.

The Government has previously announced plans to relax restrictions over the Christmas period to allow people to meet up in Christmas bubbles made up of a maximum of three households between December 23rd and December 27th.

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