WHEN national lockdown ended Hampshire, alongside the majority of the country, was placed under Tier 2 restrictions.

Now almost two weeks have gone by and it is time for the Tiers to have their regular review to reflect the developing situation.

There is a threat that some areas in England could move into Tier three restrictions due to a rise in the number of positive Covid-19 cases, but will Hampshire be one of those places?

Currently, according to the latest Government data, only two areas in Hampshire have above average rolling case rates.

Havant has a rolling seven-day case rate of 171.1 per 100,000 and Portsmouth has a rolling rate of 177.8.

The rest of Hampshire is classed as ‘below average’ with the Test Valley having the lowest rolling rate in the county at 42.

Winchester and Eastleigh alongside Test Valley rank in the lowest 20 areas of England for case rates.

However, Hampshire's infection rates are not all good news, with rises in almost all areas - and this is a big part of the tier decisions.

Data shows in the seven days from December 5 to December 11 there were 1,895 positive coronavirus cases in Hampshire, including Portsmouth and Southampton.

This is an increase of 511 cases from the previous seven-day period from November 28 to December 4 when England was in lockdown.

On average cases have increased in by 36.9 per cent across the county.

The number of deaths within 28 days of positive test have stayed similar with 32 deaths recorded from November 28 to December 4 and 34 deaths recorded between December 5 to December 11.

In comparison, the Isle of Wight, which currently is in Tier one, has a rolling rate of 11.3 and cases have been consistently decreasing.

Health minister Matt Hancock previously said the case rates in Hampshire lead to it being plunged into Tier two restrictions.

He explained: "There is a mixed picture across this area although the overall case rate is now 152/100,000 and falling in almost all areas. NHS admissions were increasing rapidly until mid-November and are now stable."

The health secretary believes that the tier system “should prevent the need to introduce stricter national measures”.

The Tiers will be reviewed on Wednesday, December 16, when the opinions of local public health directors will be considered. 

Areas which are approved for Tier changes will see the change come into effect on December 19.

The exact time of the announcement is yet been confirmed, but further details are expected closer to the day.