Nearly 2 million people in north-east England face being fined up to £6,400 if they mix with other households indoors in a significant extension of the government’s lockdown powers. For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, it will be illegal for people in parts of the UK to meet people they do not live with in pubs, bars or restaurants. The measure comes into force on Wednesday in Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland. Previously, people in these areas were only advised not to meet others indoors. Breaches of the new regulation, which is yet to be laid down in law, will result in a £200 fine for a first offence, doubling each time up to a maximum of £6,400. The health secretary said the infection rate in the affected areas had risen above 100 cases per 100,000 people, double England’s average, and that it had “continued to rise sharply” despite a 10pm hospitality curfew and other measures introduced 10 days ago. Matt Hancock said he had taken the measures while working closely with local councils. However, the announcement was immediately criticised by Nick Forbes, the leader of Newcastle city council, who suggested they… Read full this story
- The mystery of Weston-super-Mare's Covid-19 outbreak: Officials are still investigating spike in cases that forced hospital to SHUT - but scientists say it could be down to tourists flocking to the beach or an unreported cluster in care homes
- Coronavirus live updates: Drought compounds pandemic pain in California’s parched rural North
- Boris Johnson faces a grilling from senior MPs today - but questions on Dominic Cummings will be squeezed into a 20-minute slot with other Covid topics as 40 Tories call for No10 aide's head over lockdown scandal
- Six Cabinet members 'privately believe Dominic Cummings should resign' while 40 Tory MPs call for Boris Johnson to sack him over 'lockdown breach' controversy
- Coronavirus live updates: More than 900 new cases in Los Angeles County
Lockdown tightened in north-east England as Covid-19 infections rise have 317 words, post on www.theguardian.com at September 28, 2020. This is cached page on CuBird. If you want remove this page, please contact us.