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Mixing of households in any setting will become illegal in the North East of England as the number of coronavirus cases “continues to increase dramatically”.
Addressing MPs in the Commons, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said existing measures were being tightened at the request of city councils.
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The tightening of the restrictions will take effect from midnight Wednesday and will apply to Northumberland, Newcastle, North and South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham.
It will be enforceable by law, with fines for those who break the rules.
It was already illegal for two households to mix indoors or in the garden, but it was just a guide that they shouldn’t be found in public places like restaurants and pubs.
“The incident rate in the area is now more than 100 cases per 100,000,” Hancock said.
“We know that a large number of these infections occur indoors outside the home.
“And so, at the request of city councils, with whom we have been working closely, we will introduce legal restrictions on indoor mixing between homes in any environment.
“We do not take these steps lightly.
“But we have to take them and take them now because we know that quick action is more likely to control the virus.
“The faster we can control this virus, the faster we can restore the freedoms that we all enjoy in the Northeast and across the country.”
It comes after a minister suggested that stricter social restrictions could be imposed if infections continue to rise.
Helen Whately told Sky News that we “do not want” to introduce measures to bring the UK back into a second national lockdown, but warned that the government was “constantly monitoring” the cases.
A report in The Times follows that a “total social blockade” could be imposed on much of northern Britain and London.
Measures being considered reportedly include more restrictions for people from different households to gather indoors and close pubs and restaurants, initially for two weeks.
Schools, shops and offices would remain open, according to the newspaper.
He quoted a senior government source as saying the nation and Conservative MPs were not “ready” for such action, but “it will have to come.”
Ms. Whately did not deny that the plan is being considered.
“We have a chance, a choice, as a country to get this back under control,” he told Kay Burley.
“This is our time to make sure we are doing social distancing and the rule of six. This is how we control it.”
Three more council areas in South Wales went into local closure as of 6pm Monday: Neath Port Talbot, Torfaen and the Vale of Glamorgan.
Bans on domestic mixing went into effect in Wigan, Stockport, Blackpool and Leeds on Saturday.
Tighter rules already exist in places throughout much of the North West of England, West Yorkshire, the North East and the Midlands, as well as areas of West Scotland.
It means that an estimated 17.8 million people across the UK are now living under additional COVID-19 measures, in addition to those already announced by the Prime Minister.
A recent national change has been the imposition of a 10 pm curfew for pubs, bars and restaurants.
But ministers are under mounting pressure to revise the rule, amid criticism that it is causing people to fill the streets in droves when venues close.
Labor is calling for a “quick” review of the curfew.
