A Norfolk MP has said he is of the opinion Norfolk should be looked at in isolation and placed in the lowest coronavirus tier.

Eastern Daily Press: Latest figures show coronavirus cases are showing signs of slowing. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA WireLatest figures show coronavirus cases are showing signs of slowing. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

On Thursday, the government will announce which tiers different regions of the England will be placed into when the national lockdown comes to an end on December 2.

Ahead of the announcement Duncan Baker, Conservative MP for North Norfolk, said while it was unclear how the country would be split up, he hoped Norfolk would be viewed separately to neighbouring counties.

He said: “We don’t know what the regionality will be, however it’s unlikely that it will be based on constituency or district, it’s likely to be more regional than that. I think it’s only sensible that Norfolk is looked at as a whole.

“North Norfolk specifically continues to be one of the lowest parts of the whole country but they won’t look at North Norfolk in isolation they will look at the whole area.”

Mr Baker said there were different criteria which officials would consider when determining what tier a region would be placed into.

He said: “In Norfolk as a whole, there’s various evidence that suggests our infection rates are broadly coming down. We’re substantially below the national average of infections so both these indicators would point me towards saying we should be in the lower tier.”

Mr Baker said aside from infection rates other factors which would be considered by the government were the risk to the population within an area aged over 60 and pressures on NHS services.

He said: “I will make a plea to the health secretary that we will get to see the data around determining what tier they put us in.”

Mr Baker said while he and his Conservative colleagues in the county hoped Norfolk would be placed in the lowest tier the county “would have to wait and see what we’re given”.

He said Norfolk should be placed in a lowest tier, and wanted the county to come out of lockdown.

“I think the government will take a cautious approach to tiering places and we will see more areas in the middle tiers that perhaps we would have thought,” he said.