What Is Calling Restrictions Announcement 19

Covid restrictions are to be further tightened in parts of England early side by side week, with the closure of pubs and restaurants a possibility in the worst-affected areas, the BBC has been told.

There could as well be a ban on overnight stays abroad from home in these areas.

A final conclusion on the time period or extent of potential closures has not withal been made.

The authorities is besides likely to introduce a three-tier system for local lockdowns.

Nether the arrangement, unlike parts of the country would be placed in dissimilar categories - although ministers are still discussing the precise details of the toughest level of restrictions over the adjacent couple of days.

A formal announcement is not likely to come up until Monday, according to BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has challenged the authorities to publish the scientific evidence behind the 22:00 closing time for pubs and restaurants - and refused to say whether his party would vote in support of the measure in Parliament next week.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said there was "evidence hospitality plays a office" in spreading the virus.

Simply pressed on whether the government would publish this evidence, he told the BBC: "It is commonsensical that the longer y'all stay in pubs and restaurants, the more probable you lot are to come into contact with other individuals.

"The more drinks that people have, the more likely that some people are to break the rules."

He added that information technology was right to "take action decisively, rather than waiting for the most detailed epidemiological evidence to emerge".

On the possibility of additional restrictions for some parts of England, Mr Jenrick said the government was "currently because what steps to accept" and the precise measures for dissimilar areas would be announced "in the coming days".

He did non rule out pubs beingness closed but said measures would be "proportionate and localised".

He added that the government was trying to give "greater consistency on rules and so they're easier to sympathise" and was working on "slightly broader canvases of regions or cities and counties to avoid differences in people'south daily lives if they drive over the edge".

From Friday, all pubs and restaurants across fundamental Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, are to close, while in the rest of Scotland hospitality venues must shut at 18:00 BST and alcohol can only be served outdoors.

On Midweek the number of United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland cases rose past 14,162, with a further 70 deaths reported.

The planned tightening of restrictions in parts of England follows ascension infection rates across much of the country, with medical leaders warning the NHS is at run a risk of condign overwhelmed.

Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne have the highest infection rates in the country.

A government source told the BBC the state of affairs in the north-west and north-east of England was "very troubling", with growing numbers of hospital admissions and more than elderly people in intensive care.

These areas will be placed into the height tier of restrictions, with an announcement possibly as early on as Mon, in a new system chosen the Local Covid Alert Level.

But there remains a debate inside chiffonier over how far the restrictions in the height tier should go, with some in No 10 arguing for measures like those in Scotland.

The programme is for schools to remain open in all circumstances.

The Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, reacted angrily to the reports, tweeting: "No word. No consultation. Millions of lives affected by Whitehall diktat. It is proving impossible to deal with this government."

It's a complicated equation. The Department of Wellness is worried about the spread of the affliction, also as other patients losing out on other treatments because of the focus on Covid.

No 11 is fearful about the impact on the economy, which has already had a profound stupor.

And it'due south No 10'due south job to worry nigh all of it, then reach a conclusion.

But Boris Johnson likewise knows that his own MPs and the opposition parties are more and more sceptical equally each day passes about what the government proposes.

It's clear that shutting pubs and restaurants is a possibility - the "excursion breaker" that we have talked about on here lots of times.

But at that place are many questions notwithstanding to exist settled.

Under the new system, all areas would be subject to the current England-wide restrictions, merely at that place would exist much more robust measures for the summit tier - the one with the highest infection rates.

There are already tighter restrictions in parts of the due north-east and north-west of England, Birmingham and Leicester, where the rate of infection has been rising.

But in that location are currently no extra restrictions for hospitality venues in these areas beyond those in force nationally, such equally the 22:00 endmost time for pubs and restaurants.

The Treasury is looking at providing fiscal back up to the industry in the worst-hit areas, and a memo seen by the BBC shows plans for additional money for local authorities. They would get £1 per head of population if placed into tier two, and £2 per head for tier three.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland Hospitality, said if venues were forced to close the industry would need a render to a total furlough scheme and boosted financial support.

She said the £40m of support announced for hospitality venues by the Scottish authorities, when shared between 16,000 premises, equated to just over £ii,000 each, which "barely keeps the lights on, let alone saving jobs".

The planned changes come up as medical leaders warn that rising infection levels across the land could leave the NHS "unable to cope".

The Academy of Medical Colleges, which represents the UK and Ireland's 24 medical royal colleges, called on people to abide "strictly" to coronavirus measures to prevent NHS services from becoming overwhelmed.

Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the academy, said: "Given the recent dramatic spike in both the number of cases and infirmary admissions information technology is articulate that we could before long exist back to where nosotros were in April if we are not all extremely careful."

She told BBC Breakfast that while in that location were hotspots in the north-east and n-west of England, a lot of cities were now seeing "serious problems" and the virus was "working farther south".

• Police in England and Wales are being given an extra £30m by the government to enforce coronavirus restrictions, while another £30m will be provided for Covid marshals to help ensure rules are followed in English council areas
• The UK regime has agreed to pay up to £2m to settle a lawsuit over how information technology selected an IT contract for coronavirus testing at its Lighthouse labs
• People arriving in the Great britain from away may soon exist able to end their 14-24-hour interval self-isolation early on, with plans for a testing system being considered by a new taskforce
• National 5 exams are to be cancelled in Scotland in 2021 and replaced with teacher assessments and coursework