Maldon now faces a wait to see which tier it will be in when the government allows England to step out of lockdown after midnight on Wednesday, 2 December.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the nation yesterday (Monday, 23 November) that England's second national lockdown will be lifted and a revised three-tiered system of restrictions will allow shops, gyms and hairdressers to reopen across the country.

When England went into its second lockdown three weeks ago, Essex County Council had already voluntarily placed itself under Tier 2 'High' level restrictions.

Which tier regions are in after lockdown may change, as Mr Johnson said he expected to announce on Thursday which areas of England will be in which tier - a decision that will be based on local infection rates and pressures on hospitals.

Infection and death rates in the Essex county now vary significantly. Public Health England figures show that in the seven days up to Thursday, 19 November, Maldon's figure stands at 83.2 confirmed cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 population.

However, some areas of Essex have high levels of infection, with Basildon and Brentwood topping the list at 268.7 cases per 100,000 and 242.8 respectively. The average area in England has 187.

As of 17 November, there were a total of 244 beds in Essex hospitals occupied by Covid-19 patients, equal to 8.9 per cent of capacity. This was up 15 per cent on the previous seven days.

If Maldon district - or the Essex area - returns to Tier 1, the following will apply:

-Shops, gyms and personal care services will all reopen

-Collective worship, weddings and outdoor sports will resume

-People will no longer be limited to seeing one other person outdoors as the rule of six will apply in outdoor public spaces

-Non-essential foreign travel allowed, subject to quarantine rules

There will be different rules for pubs and spectator sports in the different tiers:

-In Tier 1, they will be able to open until 11pm with last orders at 10pm.

-In Tier 2, they can only open if they serve substantial meals. Alcohol can be served with that meal

-In Tier 3, hospitality venues must close apart from delivery and takeaway

It does look as if spectator sport will be able to resume in Maldon, as it is only in Tier 3 than it cannot resume.

After Thursday's decision about what tier the district is in, the decision will be formally reviewed every 14 days.