Almost all boroughs in Surrey will be placed under stringent Tier 3 restrictions from Saturday (December 19) after a worrying surge in new Covid-19 cases in the region.

The county will move into the most severe 'Very High Risk' alert level, with the exception of Waverley, after what County Council (SCC) Leader Tim Oliver described as a "rapidly rising rates of Coronavirus across most of Surrey."

The news was announced by SCC in a statement posted online around midday on Thursday (December 17).

In it, a spokesperson for SCC said the decision was taken by central government in line with scientific advice and would mean tighter restriction for most people in the county.

"The Very High alert level is for areas with a very high or very rapidly rising level of infections, where tighter restrictions are required.

"The decision to move an area into a higher tier is based on a number of indicators, including the overall infection rate, the rate in the over 60s, and the pressure on the NHS.

"This means that, with the exception of Waverley, if you live in Surrey:

  • You can only mix households (in groups of up to 6) in outdoor spaces, such as parks and the countryside, not in private gardens
  • All hospitality venues such as bars, pubs and cafés must shut. They can open for takeaway only
  • Indoor entertainment venues, such as theatres and cinemas, must close
  • Accommodation, such as hotels and B&Bs, must close."

A number of boroughs in Surrey have reported sharp rises in the weekly number of new Covid-19 cases recently.

Latest coronavirus data where you live

In Epsom and Ewell, for example confirmed 191 new cases in the week up to December 11.

That was a sharp increase on the previous week's figures of 72 or 60.5 per cent, handing the borough a rolling rate of 236.9, significantly higher than the national average of197.5.

In Elmbridge, 225 cases were confirmed, up 71 or 46.1 per cent from the previous week's figures for a rolling rate of 164.5.

Spelthorne meanwhile reported 247 new cases up to December 11, an increase of 94 or 61.4 per cent (rolling rate 247.4).

SCC Leader Tim Oliver said Thursday:

"The Government has taken the decision to put most of the county under further restrictions because of their much higher rates of infection. I know this will be very disappointing news for residents and businesses in our tier 3 areas, after an exceptionally difficult year.

"But we need to take swift action to save lives and stop our crucial NHS services from being put under even more pressure. We all need to be extremely vigilant, including residents in Waverley, as the situation can change quickly and we want to prevent them going into tier 3 in the new year.

"With the Christmas bubbles coming up on the 23rd December, please make sure you understand and follow the guidance, to protect your loved ones and prevent even higher infection rates in the new year.

"There is hope on the horizon with the rollout of the vaccine across the county, starting with the over-80s. But it will take time and we cannot let our guard down.

"The coming weeks will be a challenge to us all, but it is crucial that we reduce the spread of this virus and get through the winter as safely as possible."