WORCESTER’S MP said he voted for the tiered system to come into effect after lockdown as he said it strikes the right balance.

Robin Walker, as well as West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin and Mid Worcestershire MP Nigel Huddleston, all voted in favour of the Covid-19 tiers to replace the lockdown when the vote was held in the Commons earlier this week.

The MP said: “All MPs hear from constituents on both sides of the argument, people who are saying it should be much stricter, and we hear from people in business who are worried about their jobs saying release the economy, get going.

“I think the right balance to strike is something which targets reducing the virus but lets people get on with their lives wherever they can. A tiered system, sensibly designed, can do that.

“For those who are worried we are going to go into repeated lockdowns, the vaccine is really the answer to that. If we can get that rolled out we can make sure we don’t have to go into a national lockdown ever again.”

Mrs Baldwin said: “Local people have made huge sacrifices to follow the rules and help to prevent the spread of the virus and I know many local people and local businesses were concerned that we went from extra national restrictions into tier two despite the prevalence of the virus remaining low in West Worcestershire.

“As part of the Coronavirus Recovery Group, I have been working to secure further concessions to the new tier restrictions and as a result a great deal of the economy has reopened this week. In addition we secured an end date in February and regular reviews of tiers.

“This current tiering system is in place for 14 days before it will be reviewed and I will keep up the pressure to put my constituents in a lower level of restrictions as soon as possible. It is also clear that millions will be receiving the vaccine in coming weeks, so we will be able to return to normality.

“With these commitments in place, I was able to support the government’s proposals this week.”

Mr Huddleston added: “We’ve all worked hard and made sacrifices over the past month of lockdown to bring the rate of infection down and I’m glad that we have now introduced a more targeted and local system, and the government has been transparent in the method used to allocate tiers.

"The tiering will be reviewed every couple of weeks and I am aware that there are calls for a more granular district level as opposed to county or regional tiering approach, and if that is practically possible I would welcome such moves.

“In the meantime, I appreciate the need for simple and clear instructions to keep infection levels down, and as Worcestershire is in tier 2, I welcome the reopening of many businesses this week in advance of the Christmas holiday period.”