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HUNDREDS of drinkers head to the Toon for one last night of binge drinking before the Northeast close and curfew at 10pm begins today.
Revelers flocked to Newcastle’s bars for a final blast before the region was slapped with tough new rules, as fears of a second national shutdown grew.
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More than two million people in the Northeast are now prohibited from gathering with friends and family from other homes, inside or outside.
Pubs, cafes and restaurants will be reduced to table service only and must close between 22:00 and 05:00.
It comes as Lancashire and Merseyside also face new measures starting tomorrow, with up to 10 million Britons now living under tighter restrictions.
Similar measures are being considered for Leeds and London’s nine million residents, The Sun has learned.
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They could also include restrictions on the use of public transportation and stiffer fines for not wearing a mask.
Today’s biggest restrictions apply to two million people in Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, County Durham and Sunderland.
And there are fears of a new wave, with 40,000 students must return to Newcastle University and another 20,000 to Durham University.
Around 2,350 pubs and restaurants have been affected, according to property consultant Altus Group.
Sean Southern from The Gateshead Arms told MailOnline: “Things seemed to be looking up and then all of a sudden last night we were told there would be big changes and we really haven’t had time to prepare.
“People forget that closing at 10pm also has an impact on staff who might have wanted to pick up a few extra hours.”
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It comes as scientists are advising the government on a two-week national lockdown next month to combat the rise of the coronavirus, it is reported.
Experts suggested a lockdown in October for half the period before the virus “breaks through the NHS,” reports The Financial Times.
Boris Johnson has not ruled out another national shutdown, although with the growing number of zippers in many regions, much of the country is already living with forced change.
While all of England now has to adhere to the “rule of six”, which limits gatherings to half a dozen people, some entire regions are living with tougher rules or will soon face.
The increase in regional restrictions comes as scientists advising the government want a two-week national shutdown next month to combat the rise of the coronavirus, it is reported.
Experts suggested a lockdown in October for half the period before the virus “breaks through the NHS,” reports The Financial Times.
And with Covid cases increasing alarmingly, the chief of evidence, Baroness Dido Harding, angered MPs by admitting that officials did not expect demand to be this high.
NHS Test and Trace Director Lady Harding blamed scientists for not predicting that up to a million people a day would demand a check on a system with a capacity of just 250,000.
I don’t think anyone expected to see a really large demand like we have done over the course of the past few weeks.
NHS Head of Testing and Tracing, Lady Harding
He claimed that “scared and worried” people were getting tested when it wasn’t necessary, and he also accused a quarter of lying about their symptoms.
Lady Harding said: “I don’t think anybody expected to see a really big demand like we’ve had over the course of the last few weeks.
“None of the models expected (that).”
Meanwhile, the country’s failed test and trace system could be outsourced to Amazon, Telegraph reports.
And “chaotic” coronavirus testing labs are running out of staff as scientists scramble to cope with demand, according to The Times.
The testing fiasco was exposed, as parts of the country were subjected to additional restrictions.
Sky reports that stricter restrictions will also be imposed in Lancashire, excluding Blackpool, starting Saturday.
The Lancashire lockdown will include Preston, Blackburn, Burnley, Lancaster and Morecambe, the broadcaster claims.
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Meanwhile, Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson has said he expects more restrictions to occur in the Northwest this week.
The Liverpool Echo reports that it said: “We know there will be government meetings to decide what will happen next on Friday, but we expect to be affected by the lockdown measures that have exceeded 100 cases per 100,000 government threshold.”
“We think this could be part of a broader Northwest lockdown, because you can see that cases are increasing across the region.
Liverpool has seen coronavirus rates skyrocket, with 106.4 cases per 100,000 people.
Virtues of a curfew
CURFEWS helped reduce infection rates in Belgium.
At the end of July, all public places closed at 11 p.m. and citizens were asked to stay home from 11.30 p.m. to 6 a.m.
In mid-August, when rates fell, the curfew was reduced from 1.30 a.m. to 5 a.m.
Earlier closing times can prevent people from getting too drunk and getting too close to other revelers.
But sociologist Professor Robert Dingwall, from Nottingham Trent University, said people could start their nights out earlier.
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ENCLOSE
With 10 million already under local lockdown and strict new rules, we asked: where next?
As demand for testing increases across the country, yesterday it was not possible to reserve a spot in Liverpool, Wirral, Bury or Salford, which are areas within the 20 highest infection rates in England.
London has seen a rise in case rates in at least 30 boroughs, according to recent data. The city as a whole has an infection rate of 490.2.
And as the infection rate in about 20 districts teeters on the threshold of the government to impose restrictions, 500,000 students are slated to flock to the capital to attend university.
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