THE county will have to wait to find out what rules will be in place when the national lockdown ends and tiered restrictions resume.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the country would be returning to the three-tier system from December 3 with gyms and non-essential shops allowed to re-open and the 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants scrapped.

Worcestershire will have to wait to find out which tier it will be placed in with the announcement expected on Thursday.

Most areas are set to be placed in the higher tiers – ‘high risk’ tier two or ‘very high’ tier three – after December 2, the Prime Minister said.

Tier allocations will be reviewed every 14 days, and a regional approach will last until March.

Which tier the county will be placed in will depend on several factors, including case numbers, the reproduction rate and the current and projected pressure on the NHS locally.

Worcestershire's infection rate has fallen during the second national lockdown with latest figures showing the county's rate at 216.4 cases per 100,000 people in the week up to November 17 with a total of 1,289 cases recorded in the seven days.

Dr Kathryn Cobain, director of Public Health for Worcestershire, said: “Tier restrictions are being decided by central government, and we are awaiting further official guidance on this.

"Numbers of positive Covid-19 cases are stabilising in Worcestershire which we welcome, but there is still a long way to go to get our numbers down.

"We are continuing to monitor our daily figures and we really hope to see these numbers keep coming down especially in our districts where they have been highest infection rates. Right now it is up to everyone to follow the rules and do their upmost to keep people safe.”

Pubs in tier three area will have to stay closed except for takeaway and pubs in tier two can reopen if they serve meals.

Last orders at pubs allowed to open will remain at 10pm but customers will have an hour to drink up and finish meals.

Craig Finn, owner of city Belgian beer café TripelB, said he was expecting the county to be placed in tier two following the Prime Minister’s announcement but would be left waiting until Thursday for confirmation.

“Tier two definitely brings its own challenges. If we are in tier two we will then have to keep the kitchen open all the time which is something we don’t currently do. We’re not set up and not staffed for that so not only is that a headache in itself but in addition to that, there’s the extra cost involved.

"It’s impossible to comment [without confirmation] but I can say that if we are tier two I will be disappointed, tier three I will be gutted and if it’s tier one I will be delighted.”

Mr Johnson also confirmed outdoor sports can resume with the number of spectators allowed in again dependent on which tier the county enters.

Up to 4,000 fans would be allowed to attend outdoor sport if Worcestershire is placed in tier one with up to 2,000 fans permitted if the county is placed in tier two.

No fans could watch outdoor sport if Worcestershire is placed in tier three.