West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has pledged to keep pressing for lower levels of restrictions for county families and businesses as a vaccine gets approval for roll out across the country.

Stay at home restrictions have now ended across England, but Worcestershire is now placed into tier two. Shops are all able to re-open and pubs are able to serve customers with a meal, with a one hour extension.

Today, the independent regulator ruled that a vaccine is safe to use and the Government is rolling out a plan to offer jabs next week.

Harriett said: “The news of a vaccine is extremely heartening, and this will be particularly good news for people either in a care setting or working in the health economy who are at highest risk and therefore rightly first in line.

“I thank everyone involved in this Herculean effort and we can now see the end of these awful restrictions on our freedoms.

“The cost of closing the economy is enormous and I have been keen to make sure that the tiering system will be regularly reviewed, with the first one in two weeks.

“I hope that with a vaccine now becoming a real prospect, the county’s economy can be released – and in particular, the hospitality businesses who are being badly restricted by the current tiering decision.

“I’ve written to the Business Secretary asking what help he can offer to these businesses but the obvious solution is to return West Worcestershire to the correct tier and allow us to return to the rule of six while the vaccine starts reaching local people.”