Baffled caller confused over which three-tier lockdown rules to follow
13 October 2020, 13:24
Caller confused over which three-tier lockdown rules to follow
This is the moment a caller told LBC he is "confused" by the Government's new three-tier lockdown system as he's unsure of which rules to follow.
Nick called from Warrington to speak of his concerns after Boris Johnson yesterday vowed to "simplify and standardise" rules by introducing three tiers - medium, high and very high - in order to implement local lockdowns.
The Liverpool City Region will enter the highest alert level, with pubs, casinos, gyms and betting shops set to close from Wednesday.
Speaking to James O'Brien, Nick said: "To be honest, I'm confused. I'm quite confused. I've been confused for a while now, I suppose as most people have.
"Yesterday, I found out that the postcode area that I belong to is designated as Tier 1 and the local council [and] borough that I also live in actually belongs to another one."
Jon Ashworth MP discusses the new Covid tiers
He added: "I'm fairly close to a county border so I accept that may have something to do with that.
"But the fact is that depending on which criteria I want to search by, whether I'm looking at the postcode or the local council, I could be following two different bits of advice.
"So not only at the moment am I fairly confused as to what the actual advice is, I don't know exactly which of the two that I'm supposed to follow."
James responded by saying that the "only thing" that wouldn't lead to "more confusion" would be a nationwide system under which "everybody is following the same rules".
Three tier system: LBC explains
"The least confusing strategy is the one that's nationwide," James argued.
James also appeared to suggest Conservative Party backbenchers have been acting hypocritically in their approach to tackling the coronavirus crisis.
He said: "You've got more Tory backbenchers lining up to complain about that because they've got a massive problem with economic damage designed to keep people alive, but they're perfectly happy with economic damage designed to deliver their unicorn-based Brexit."
