The new emergency measures cover Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham and more areas are expected to be added to the list today. Residents are banned from socialising in homes or gardens with people outside their own households or support bubble, food and drink venues are restricted to table service only and leisure and entertainment venues must close at 10pm.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock looks set to add further lockdowns as the Government scrambles to contain the second wave of infections sweeping the country.
He is expected to announce drastic new measures in Lancashire after a fresh spike in COVID-19 cases.
Preston, Lancaster, Wyre, Fylde, Chorley, South Ribble, West Lancashire, Ribble Valley, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Pendle, Hyndburn, and Rossendale are all expected to be hit, Sky News reported. The majority of Blackpool, however, will be excluded.
READ MORE: Coronavirus horror: Hospitals URGED to clear beds in 2 WEEKS
Figures released yesterday showed there had been a further 3,395 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, and 21 more people had died within 28 days of testing positive.
This brings the UK death toll to 41,705, although separate figures published by the statistics agencies show 57,500 cases where COVID-19 was mentioned on a death certificate.
A total of 18,371 new people tested positive for COVID-19 in England in the week to September 9, a rise of 75 percent in positive cases on the previous week.
The Government is preparing to set out further details of its social care action plan to help fight the spread of coronavirus over winter.
Experts from the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) are reported to have called for a two-week national lockdown in October to tackle the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
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7.30am update: Labour lashes out at Government’s coronavirus strategy
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth has attacked the Government over its COVID-19 testing system.
Mr Ashworth said: “Labour warned months ago that unless the Government spent the summer fixing the testing regime then we would face a bleak winter.
“The Government ignored that advice, the testing regime is collapsing and so it is not surprising national restrictions are back on the table.”
