The Council has been told by Government that Buckinghamshire must move into Tier 3 from 00.01 on Saturday (19 December), the very highest level of coronavirus restrictions in England.
Following the Government's Tier review announcements today, the County will join other areas around London including Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Berkshire, previously in Tier 2.
For details of what the Tier change means, please refer to the government’s website for Tier 3 restrictions. The Council will also be updating its website about any changes to local services as a result of the Tier change.
Buckinghamshire Council Leader Martin Tett said he was 'bitterly disappointed' that the county had moved from Tier 1 to Tier 3 in a matter of weeks, particularly after the efforts made during the recent second lockdown.
"So soon after the good news about the vaccine roll out, If anyone needed a reminder about how serious a threat coronavirus remains, then this is it," he said.
"We've seen cases sharply rising again locally which is clearly the wrong direction and going into Tier 3 now brings additional restrictions and pressures, particularly for our local economy, that nobody wanted to see.
"This definitely isn't the news we wanted, but we'll continue working with our Members of Parliament, the Buckinghamshire NHS and local business organisations to understand the full implications for our residents, our businesses and of course for people's health and wellbeing."
Martin added: "It remains imperative that everyone in Buckinghamshire follows the rules laid out, This is going to mean difficulties, tough choices and personal sacrifices particularly over the Christmas and New Year period. But, it's the best way to beat Covid-19, get infection rates down and for the country to gain back the upper hand against this deadly virus."
The Council will be issuing more details, help and advice on its website in the coming days.