Lancashire and Merseyside ‘face North East-style lockdown with 10pm pub curfews’
LANCASHIRE and Merseyside faces North East-style lockdowns with a 10pm pub and restaurant curfew, it is reported.
The Liverpool Echo says a Government announcement on the proposal is due today after infections in the region soared in recent weeks.
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Officials were told by the government the new measures, which would hit more than 1.4 million people, will be the same as those announced for the North East today, it is claimed.
Liverpool has seen soaring coronavirus rates, with 106.4 cases per 100,000 people and 530 new cases in the last seven days.
And reports tonight that tighter restrictions are also set to be imposed on Lancashire, excluding Blackpool, from Saturday.
The Lancashire lockdown will include Preston, Blackburn, Burnley, Lancaster and Morecambe, the broadcaster claims.
'CONCERNING RISE'
It comes as more than two million people in the North East of England will go into a new lockdown tomorrow, it was confirmed earlier.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the restrictions in the North East would include a ban on residents socialising with other people outside their own households.
There will be table service only in bars and restaurants, while leisure and entertainment venues will close between 10pm and 5am.
"We think this could well be part of a wider North West lockdown, because you can see cases are rising across the whole region.
";We may see pubs and restaurants reduced to takeaway services and restrictions on households mixing, we will have to wait and see exactly what measures are brought in and will keep people informed."
'LIVERPOOL LOCKDOWN'
He also warned care homes and visitations may also be affected.
At the weekend Merseyside was put on the Government watch list of hotspots to keep an eye on.
And as demand for tests rise throughout the country it was not possible to book a slot in Liverpool, Wirral, Bury or Salford today, which are all areas within the top 20 highest infection rates in England.
Earlier this week ministers brought in new laws to help stop people gathering in groups of more than six - with £100 fines for people found to be disobeying.
The number of new cases yesterday reached more than 3,000 as infections started to spike last week.
And testing is in chaos again as kits face being rationed and only given to priority groups after a backlog of cases.
Tests were also not available on the Government website in the remainder of 10 local authorities with surging cases, which are Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Tameside, Warrington and Knowsley.
Around 185,000 people are waiting for results as labs struggle to cope with the demand for extra tests.
NORTH EAST LOCKDOWN
The North East will be hit with strict rules from tomorrow as cases of the virus surge to the second highest in the country.
The ramped-up restrictions will apply to Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, County Durham and Sunderland.
Pubs, cafes and restaurants will have to offer table service only, and they will have to shut by 10pm and can't open again until 5pm.
And people will not be allowed to socialise with ANY friends and family outside of their own households either - inside or outside.
That includes public places like pubs and parks, but also inside private homes and gardens too.
Last night Matt Hancock revealed that tests would have to be prioritised again to make sure that people who needed them the most could get them.
The Sun reported this week that curfews could be slapped on pubs and restaurants across the country as part of moves to curb the spread.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Bars in Bolton already have to close early in an attempt to curb the rise in cases in the city, and Rhondda Cynon will have to follow suit.
And today the director of Public Health England for London warned the capital could face further lockdown rules.