COUNCIL bosses and medical chiefs will request for Essex to be moved back into tier one restrictions as the new England lockdown ends on December 2.

Essex County Council has revealed to the Echo the move which will see the county join Southend and Thurrock in the lowest tier of Goverment restrictions, if approved.

England will enter a second lockdown on Thursday and the draconian measures are due to end on December 2.

Essex County Council had initially set a target date of December 15 for moving the county out of tier two.

David Finch, leader of Essex County Council, said: “As we enter the second national lockdown, our focus will be on supporting Essex’s businesses and communities through the next month, and on planning for Essex to come out of lockdown as strongly as possible

“In order to come out of lockdown at the earliest opportunity, we need to remind residents that compliance with the new arrangements from this Thursday is absolutely key.

“We all need to play our part, and if we do, we believe that the extra restrictions we will be living under will do their job, and that the infection rate will have fallen sufficiently for us to exit lockdown.

“Because we had entered Tier 2 restrictions earlier in Essex in order to limit the increase in the infection rate, we are confident that when England exits the lockdown, the county will be well placed to recommend to government that we go into the lowest level of restrictions.

“In the meantime we will continue to consult with the business community in terms of what financial help and support will work best for them, and we will be announcing further support for families and vulnerable people, including people who are more at risk from Coronavirus or are clinically extremely vulnerable in the coming days.”