BRISTOL has been placed under new coronavirus restrictions due to rising numbers of confirmed cases - news which may affect the number of people commuting to Wales for work.

The city has been placed under what is being called 'Tier1+'.

There had been calls to put the city under Tier 2 restrictions as cases continued to rise.

However, in a press conference yesterday (October 28), Mayor Marvin Rees described a new tier which has not yet been mentioned or implemented anywhere else in the country.

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He said: “Over the last few weeks we have been in discussion with the Department for Health and Social Care, our local partners in the NHS and across the city, and conducting additional analytic work to fully understand Bristol’s current situation.

"Our rates in Bristol are rising, and we are currently in Tier 1, which is the ‘medium’ local COVID alert level.

"Within this Tier, we are taking targeted actions including the introduction of eight Covid marshals, deeper analytic work to identify rising tides of cases and taking on further powers of our local test and trace service to prevent further spread of the virus and protect our communities. These actions are being called Tier 1 plus.

"Any further actions will be based on what we’re seeing locally, and through discussion with our local partners across the city and central Government.

"It is vital that we all work together to keep to behaviours to stop the spread of the virus; stick to the ‘Rule of Six’ with those not in your household or support bubble both in indoor and outdoor settings, maintain social distancing and wear a face covering when indoors in mandatory settings.”

Government guidance states that, under Tier 1 restrictions, people should "work from home where you can effectively do so" and "when travelling, plan ahead or avoid busy times and routes; walk or cycle if you can".

This is also the case for Tier 2 and, as Bristol now falls between the two, those who normally commute into Wales to work remain able to do so.

The government's website gov.uk does not, however, have any official information as to the difference between Tiers 1 and 1+.

However, as Wales remains under the circuit-breaker lockdown - and Bristol's own restrictions have been increased - working from home may appeal to more commuters.