• Support Wokingham Today
  • Get the print edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter
Sunday, June 15, 2025
Wokingham.Today
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • All
    • Arborfield
    • Barkham
    • Beech Hill
    • Binfield
    • Bracknell
    • Charvil
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
    • Emmbrook
    • Finchampstead
    • Grazeley
    • Henley
    • Hurst
    • Lower Earley
    • Norreys
    • Reading
    • Remenham
    • Riseley
    • Shinfield
    • Sindlesham
    • Sonning
    • Spencers Wood
    • Swallowfield
    • Three Mile Cross
    • Twyford
    • Wargrave
    • Winnersh
    • Wokingham
    • Wokingham Without
    • Woodley
    • Woosehill
    • Yateley
    Shinfield School Picture: Wokingham Borough Council

    New primary school plans for area facing shortfall approved

    Shaun the Sheep Picture: Pixabay

    Shaun the Sheep flocks to Reading town centre this summer

    Police

    Woman’s house set on fire in Bracknell as police appeal for witnesses

    The specialist school was meant to be funded through the government?s Safety Valve scheme.

    Clarity sought for Crowthorne school

    TRIPPS Removals is launching a new Moving Stories campaign, which will recognise and celebrate individuals across Berkshire who make a difference in their communities. Picture: Tripps Removals

    Berkshire heroes to be celebrated with Moving Stories awards

    The annual summer garden party.

    Blandy & Blandy celebrates successful year

    Arborfield garden centre Henry Street will celebrate 40 years of growing in July. Picture: Henry Street Garden Centre

    Henry Street Garden Centre celebrates 40 years

    Members of CLASP enjoyed a week of activities and events for Learning Disability Week, ensuring that they were heard and seen. Picture: CLASP

    CLASP members will be Seen, Heard and Valued in June

    The event is at Dinton Pastures Country Park..

    Celebrating dads with free family fun day

  • SPORT
    • All
    • Binfield FC
    • Reading FC
    Amadou Mbengue

    Championship clubs circle to sign Reading FC defender Amadou Mbengue

    Reading FC

    Reading FC appoint new goalkeeper coach

    Yakou Meite

    Reading FC fans favourite released by Cardiff City

    Noise and floodlighting would impact the location, it was argued. Pic: Andrew Batt.

    Earley sports pitch plans in the floodlight

    Berkshire Football awards.

    Football in Berkshire shortlist revealed

    Chem Campbell

    Reading FC miss out on transfer target to fellow League One club

    Mark Bowen

    Former head of football at Reading FC lands new job

    Peter Markwick

    It’s top of the championship for Wokingham racing driver

    1871 EVENTS PRESENTS: Jimmy Quinn

    Reading FC legend Jimmy Quinn to share his memories of title success and Wembley heartbreak

  • READING FC
  • COMMUNITY
    The specialist school was meant to be funded through the government?s Safety Valve scheme.

    Clarity sought for Crowthorne school

    TRIPPS Removals is launching a new Moving Stories campaign, which will recognise and celebrate individuals across Berkshire who make a difference in their communities. Picture: Tripps Removals

    Berkshire heroes to be celebrated with Moving Stories awards

    Arborfield garden centre Henry Street will celebrate 40 years of growing in July. Picture: Henry Street Garden Centre

    Henry Street Garden Centre celebrates 40 years

    Members of CLASP enjoyed a week of activities and events for Learning Disability Week, ensuring that they were heard and seen. Picture: CLASP

    CLASP members will be Seen, Heard and Valued in June

    The event is at Dinton Pastures Country Park..

    Celebrating dads with free family fun day

    More than 6,000 people are expected to attend the event.

    Woodley Carnival returns on Saturday

    A series of short horror films made by local filmmakers will be shown at Reading's Biscuit Factory on July 17. Picture: Alexander Krivitskiy via Unsplash

    Local filmmakers bring spooky horror shorts to Reading Biscuit Factory

    A new initiative from People Planet Pint members hopes to see Wokingham become a plastic-free zone. Picture: Tanvi Sharma via Unsplash

    Naturally speaking: Hopes for a plastic-free Wokingham

    The summer show is happening on Saturday.

    Vote for your favourites at Twyford summer show

  • LIFESTYLE
    • All
    • Food
    • Health
    • Obituaries
    • People
    Members of CLASP enjoyed a week of activities and events for Learning Disability Week, ensuring that they were heard and seen. Picture: CLASP

    CLASP members will be Seen, Heard and Valued in June

    The event is at Dinton Pastures Country Park..

    Celebrating dads with free family fun day

    More than 6,000 people are expected to attend the event.

    Woodley Carnival returns on Saturday

    A new initiative from People Planet Pint members hopes to see Wokingham become a plastic-free zone. Picture: Tanvi Sharma via Unsplash

    Naturally speaking: Hopes for a plastic-free Wokingham

    The summer show is happening on Saturday.

    Vote for your favourites at Twyford summer show

    The Eco Skills Learning Centre at Pudding Lane was launched on Saturday. Pictures: Emma Merchant

    New Eco Skills Centre launches in Arborfield

    Interactive games hosted by Climate Fresk will offer a fun way to better understand climate change and biodiversity. Here Elizabeth Corse explains the games to visitors. Picture: Emma Merchant

    Love games and the planet?

    MP Yuam Yang outside the takeaway.

    MP says sorry for social media post

    The restaurant promises to be a 'vibrant' location and social hub.

    Date set for new restaurant opening

  • WHAT’S ON
    • All
    • Arts
    • Entertainment
    More than 6,000 people are expected to attend the event.

    Woodley Carnival returns on Saturday

    A series of short horror films made by local filmmakers will be shown at Reading's Biscuit Factory on July 17. Picture: Alexander Krivitskiy via Unsplash

    Local filmmakers bring spooky horror shorts to Reading Biscuit Factory

    The summer show is happening on Saturday.

    Vote for your favourites at Twyford summer show

    Steam railways

    Steam specials to depart from Reading in railway’s 200th year

    BWCB, here in rehearsal, will perform a night of movie music in July. Picture BWCB

    Enjoy a film music night for charity

    An afternoon of jazz and afternoon tea will raise funds for The Cowshed in July. Picture: Zeno Aras via Unsplash

    Uplifting July jazz afternoon promises to fizz in Waltham St Lawrence

    The Bucket List Wishes Summer Festival is taking place at Highfield Park, Hook, from 2.30pm-10.30pm on Saturday, July 5.

    Bucket List Wishes Summer Festival to return in July

    1871 EVENTS PRESENTS: Jimmy Quinn

    Reading FC legend Jimmy Quinn to share his memories of title success and Wembley heartbreak

    Hillbilly Moon Explosion

    Swiss rockabilly band Hillbilly Moon Explosion to perform at Face Bar in Reading next month

  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT
No Result
View All Result
Wokingham.Today
No Result
View All Result
Home Lifestyle Health Coronavirus

TIER 4 makes it a bleak midwinter

by Jess Warren
December 23, 2020
in Coronavirus, Featured, Wokingham
Coronavirus

Picture: PIRO4D via Pixabay

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Tier 4 could last more than a month, says health leader

CHRISTMAS is looking different this year, after Wokingham entered a lockdown over the weekend.

With families unable to meet those outside of their household, festive plans have been blocked by the newly-created Tier 4.

While there are some exceptions to the rule — support bubbles and children of separated parents can still mix — the Saturday announcement will have been a shock for many.

Cllr Charles Margetts, executive member for health at the council, said staff were not warned the borough would jump from Tier 2 to Tier 4 in a matter of days.

“This is going to be very painful for businesses in the borough, and those who have been forced to change their Christmas plans,” he said.

“More notice would have been helpful.

Related posts

Woodley donates 200,000 to community support group … now it’s going for the million

10,000 covid cases: Keep your masks on, says WHO professor

“But one has to assume the data passed under the prime minister’s nose on Friday was pretty bleak.”

In Tier 4, households are banned from forming a Christmas bubble and residents cannot leave their home without a reasonable excuse.

This includes work, when working from home is impossible, volunteering, buying food or medicine, withdrawing or depositing money.

Residents can leave their home to access medical help and to escape risk of harm — such as domestic abuse.

People can meet with one person from another household — while keeping two metres apart — for exercise. This must be done in an outdoor, public place.

Children under five, and up to two carers for a person with a disability who needs continuous care are not counted towards the outdoors gatherings limit.

To manage the spread, Cllr Margetts said the covid marshals will be deployed to key wards in the borough, where infection rates are the highest.

This includes Earley, Lower Earley, Winnersh and Wokingham. The council also aims to work with Reading Borough Council to create a cross-border approach, to minimise infections.

Cllr Margetts said he expects Tier 4 lockdown to continue for three or four weeks, but “probably longer” in order to see a drop in Covid-19 infections.

To make this happen, Cllr Margetts hopes to see residents take the pandemic as seriously as they did in March.

Over the last week, a record number of positive tests for coronavirus have been recorded in the borough.

The latest figures, published on Sunday, December 20, by Public Health in Berkshire, show that there were 113 cases in Wokingham.

This surpasses the total on Thursday, December 17, where 110 cases were reported.

The grim figures mean that there have now been 3,141 confirmed cases in the borough and the weekly rate is now 260.6 people per 100,000, up from 246.6 on Saturday.

A similar story is told across Berkshire.

Reading has reported 146 new cases, and a rate of 336.3 per 100,000 people.

Bracknell Forest reported 108 cases, and a rate of 319.1 per 100,000 people.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead had 116 cases, and a rate per 100,000 people is lower at 208.

In England, 32,155 cases were reported on Sunday, bringing the total number of people who had had coronavirus in the country to 1,743,893.

The same day, Labour leader Keir Starmer blasted prime minister Boris Johnson for the way in which he had made the decision to create a new Tier 4 level, calling the decision to cancel the planned Christmas relaxation of rules “heart-breaking”.

“Sadly, the measures the Government announced yesterday are necessary and we support them,” he said.

“But there is no getting away from the fact – and what angers people the most and frustrates me the most is that – yet again – the prime minister waited until the eleventh hour to take this decision.

“It was blatantly obvious last week that the prime minister’s plan for a free-for-all over Christmas was a risk too far. And yet, rather listening to concerns and taking them seriously the prime minister did what he always does: dismissed the challenge, ruffled his hair and made a flippant comment.”

Mr Starmer also said that the prime minister’s claim about the new strain of virus only just coming to light didn’t “stand up to scrutiny”, saying it had been spotted in September and that by not taking action sooner, Mr Johnson had undertaken “an act of gross negligence”.

“The alarms bells have been ringing for weeks, but the prime minister chose to ignore them.

“A virus of this sort demands early action. Decisive action. A clear plan and a clear message. Yet we have had none of that.”

For more information about the restrictions, visit: www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-4-stay-at-home

Keep up to date by signing up for our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people who have requested it.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Tags: coronaviruscoronavirus wokinghamtier 4wokingham borough council coronaviruswokingham coroanvirus tierwokingham tier 4wokingham.today tier 4
Previous Post

See out the year with some Covid carols

Next Post

Double winter wishes in Bracknell

FOLLOW US

POPULAR THIS WEEK

BWCB, here in rehearsal, will perform a night of movie music in July. Picture BWCB

Enjoy a film music night for charity

June 13, 2025
Shute End, Wokingham Borough Council.

Compensation for care home ‘frustrations’

June 8, 2025
Thames Valley Air Ambulance Picture: MICHAEL MOLLOY

Thames Valley Air Ambulance urges people to ‘summer safely’

June 9, 2025

Independent Remuneration Panel is looking for Volunteers

June 10, 2025
Blackcroft Farm, between Arborfield and Farley Hill,

Plans for 650 homes near Arborfield revealed

June 10, 2025

Twyford barn dance raises thousands for charity

June 12, 2025

ABOUT US

Wokingham Today is dedicated to providing news online across the whole of the Borough of Wokingham. It is a Social Enterprise, existing to support the various communities in Wokingham Borough.

Wokingham.Today is a Social Enterprise and aims to ensure that everyone within the Borough has free access to independent and up-to-date news. However, providing this service is not without costs. If you are able to, please make a contribution to support our work.

CONTACT US

[email protected]

Keep up to date with our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people that have subscribed

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

  • Support Us
  • Book Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Get the Print Edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter

The Wokingham Paper Ltd publications are regulated by IPSO – the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
If you have a complaint about a  The Wokingham Paper Ltd  publication in print or online, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned, email: [email protected], or telephone: 0118 327 2662. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • Arborfield
    • Barkham
    • Beech Hill
    • Binfield
    • Bracknell
    • Charvil
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
    • Emmbrook
    • Finchampstead
    • Grazeley
    • Henley
    • Hurst
    • Lower Earley
    • Norreys
    • Reading
    • Remenham
  • COMMUNITY
  • LIFESTYLE
  • SPORT
  • READING FC
  • OBITUARIES
  • WHAT’S ON
  • JOBS
  • PHOTOS
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • CONTACT US
  • WHERE TO GET THE PRINT EDITION
  • SUPPORT US

© 2022 - The Wokingham Paper Ltd - All Right Reserved.