Lockdown 2.0 will end next Wednesday.

And after that, England will again be divided into tiers, according to the infection rate in each region. 

But what could that mean for Essex? 

The Essex County Council area voluntarily moved into the old tier 2 in October, before the PM announced the nationwide lockdown weeks later.

And county hall bosses are now hoping that move will pay dividends - perhaps paving the way for a move into the new tier 1 come next Wednesday. 

Indeed, with a seven day rolling rate of 154 new cases per 100,000 population, the county does appear well set to come out of lockdown in a lower tier of restrictions, given the situation elsewhere in the country.

Areas such as Hull has the highest rate in England, with 568.6 cases per 100,000 people.

This is down from 779.9 in the seven days to November 12.

Swale in Kent has the second highest rate, up slightly from 531.0 to 565.0.

Thanet is in third place, where the rate has risen a little from 485.5 to 508.0.

However, we will not know exactly what is to come until Thursday, when it is likely Boris Johnson will announce which areas will go into which tiers. 

Here is how the tier system will work

Echo:

For comparison, across the county the latest local rates are below. The first number is the seven-day rolling rate as of yesterday, followed by the true number of new confirmed cases. 

The second number is the seven-day rolling rate a week ago and, in brackets, the true number of cases confirmed then.

  • Southend 154.5 (283), 160.0 (293)
  • Basildon 268.7 (503), 198.7 (372)
  • Castle Point 210.2 (190), 163.8 (148)
  • Rochford 140.8 (123), 152.2 (133)
  • Colchester 75.0 (146), 95.0 (185)
  • Chelmsford 130.6 (233), 123.3 (220)
  • Thurrock 219.1 (382), 203.6 (355)
  • Tendring 71.6 (105), 58.0 (85)
  • Braintree 119.9 (183), 94.4 (144)
  • Maldon 83.2 (54), 86.3 (56)
  • Uttlesford 107.4 (98), 156.7 (143)
  • Epping Forest 203.5 (268), 230.1 (303)

An Essex County Council spokesperson said: “As this is a lockdown led by the Government, we remain committed to what Government policy is at the time.

“In reviewing their national lockdown restrictions ahead of December 2, the Government will clearly have a keen eye on the infection rate and looking to see if it has fallen sufficiently.”

The spokesman added: “We can all play our part by following the restrictions.

“All of our decisions in terms of the situation in Essex are driven by data.

“As we entered Tier 2 restrictions earlier in Essex in order to limit the increase in the infection rate, we believe that when England exits the lockdown, we will be better placed to recommend to government that Essex is put into the lowest level of restrictions, but the transmission data in the county must match our expectations.

“Again, the way that everyone can help bring down the transmission rate is to abide by the national restrictions, work from home wherever this is possible, observe social distancing at 2 metres and if you have symptoms to self-isolate and get a test.”