WITH the government set to announce changes to its Covid tiers this week, we asked County Press readers if they thought we should stay in tier one.

128 of the 137 people who voted on Facebook thought the Isle of Wight should retain its tier one status.

Jane Howard, commenting on the County Press Facebook page, said she was pleased with tier one, but said the temptation for others to spoil it was now much higher.

"I'm expecting people to come across from the mainland just to booze in pubs," said Jane.

"They don't care about us, the people who live here ­— they just want their booze time."

On Facebook, County Press reader Kathryn Brock said she thought we should stay in tier one because we have the lowest infection rate in the country, while Matt Simmonds said our figures did not warrant any restrictions at all.

The Government is meeting today to review the Covid tier system across England, altering how strict the rules are in each area over Christmas and New Year.

A formal announcement is not expected until tomorrow (Thursday).

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told MPs that the four UK nations have agreed to continue “in principle” with the easing of coronavirus restrictions over Christmas.

Read more: Boris Johnson urges 'extreme caution' this Christmas

He said relaxed Covid-19 measures will go ahead this Christmas, but there will be stronger warnings about the risks of spreading coronavirus over the festive season.

This morning (Wednesday), London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire were moved into tier three ­— the strictest tier ­— to slow sharp, exponential rises in infection.

The Isle of Wight, meanwhile, registered the lowest seven-day Covid-19 rate in the country on Friday.

Island cases recorded in November were the highest monthly total this year, according to government figures, but in December, the rate of new cases has been falling.

No new Isle of Wight Covid cases were recorded yesterday (Tuesday).

Read more: No new Covid cases reported in Tier One Isle of Wight today