Five key factors which will decide if Buckinghamshire faces stricter Covid restrictions in Tier Three

These are the five key factors which will decide if Buckinghamshire goes into the highest tier of Covid-19 restrictions from next week.

■ Case detection rates in all age groups

Numbers of positive tests across Buckinghamshire is already heading back to where it was before the last lockdown at the beginning of November.

The seven-day rolling rate of positive tests in Buckinghamshire reached 186 per 100,000 people by December 8.

■ Case detection rates in the over-60s age group.

The number of positive tests among the older age groups has risen since the end of November.

■ The rate at which cases are rising or falling.

Buckinghamshires rolling rate 186 cases per 100,000 is the highest since the pandemic began.

■ Positivity rate — the number of positive cases detected as a percentage of tests taken.

Currently, 5.3 per cent of tests carried out across England are confirmed positive by labs.

These figures are not currently provided for Buckinghamshire.

■ Pressure on the NHS, including current and projected occupancy.

Stoke Mandeville has 366 beds avaliable, and with a low number of covid cases compared to other areas is managing well during the pandemic.

Council Leader Martin Tett warned on twitter this week 'The infection trends in Bucks were moving in the wrong direction

"There is no 'them' causing this, it is 'us' collectively.

"Please follow the rules and ask all your family to do the same.

"I plan to write to Bucks residents again today to update them of the current infection situation and what we all ned to do to prevent the growing spread of this evil virus."

Experts from the Joint Biosecurity Centre, Public Health England and the NHS monitors the number of new infections, positivity rates, and pressures on health services.

They are due meet and review the Covid Winter Plan by Wednesday (December 16).

Their verdict will be passed onto Government ministers for the final decisions on which — if any — areas will have risk levels raised or lowered.

Final decisions on tiers are made by the Prime Minister at the Covid Operations Committee and are expected to be announced by Thursday with new rules coming into force at the weekend.