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Those who live in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool are preparing for a local shutdown.
From one minute after midnight on Saturday morning, the residents of those towns will not be able to meet people from other households in a private house or even in a garden.
The lockdown means that social mixing between people from different households is prohibited in all settings except public outdoor spaces such as parks and outdoor hospitality.
Tighter regulations are being introduced following a sharp increase in coronavirus cases in our region.
Here’s everything we know so far:
What areas are affected?
The local lockdown applies to Middlesbrough and Hartlepool, but Stockton and Redcar and Cleveland residents have been questioning the exact border line due to the makeup of some districts in Teesside.
The simplest way to look at it is: if you pay your city tax bill to the Hartlepool Council or the Middlesbrough Council, the new rules apply to you.
The situation in Stockton, Redcar and Cleveland is reviewed daily.
What has the government said?
On Thursday morning, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the strictest lockdown measures for 250,000 people in Teesside in the House of Commons.
He added that the areas, along with others in the northeast, would also benefit from £ 7 million of funding that is being provided to local authorities to “support them with their vital work.”
How serious is the coronavirus situation in Teesside?
On Thursday, another coronavirus-related hospital death was recorded in Teesside.
The patient, who was in the care of the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, died on Sunday, September 27.
No further deaths were recorded in North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and the last recorded death in that trust occurred on Monday, September 28.
The latest death was recorded Thursday in daily figures released by the NHS and brought the total number of deaths in Teesside to 404.
And on Wednesday, Teesside recorded the second-highest daily covid-19 increase so far at 118, the highest was Tuesday when there were 126 new positive tests.
On Thursday this fell to an increase of 65 with the latest figures:
Middlesbrough: 1,509
Stockton: 1,493
Redcar and Cleveland: 985
Hartlepool: 989
What do local leaders have to say about the closure?
Unsurprisingly, it was a mixed response from Teesside politicians.
Conservatives Simon Clarke and Jacob Young thanked Matt Hancock for “ensuring that there is no unnecessary lockdown throughout the Tees Valley” when the measurements for the two cities were revealed.
Clarke said a “clear evidence-based strategy” had been part of the measures imposed on Middlesbrough, after it opposed new local restrictions earlier this week.
Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald believed the additional restrictions were “sadly unavoidable.”
The Labor MP said: “I have said before that no one welcomes more restrictions, but we in Teesside sit alongside seven neighboring local authorities to the northeast, where tighter restrictions have been imposed for some time due to worryingly high rates of covid- 19.
“It is only 13 miles from Middlesbrough to Sedgefield in County Durham, and the virus is clearly circulating throughout the Northeast at worrying levels.
“The virus ignores the local authority boundaries between Durham County and the Tees Valley local authority areas.”
But there was a different response from Hartlepool MP Mike Hill, who was infuriated by the lack of consultation with MPs and leaders.
In a post on social media, Mr. Hill said, “Absolutely embarrassing one-size-fits-all approach.
“Totally angry about this.”
And Andy Preston caused controversy, saying that the stricter measures were “unacceptable” for the city and “as it is, we defy the government.”
The independent council leader later told Sky News that the government’s decision was “unacceptable.”
Hartlepool Council Leader Shane Moore also expressed “frustration and disappointment” with the government’s decision.
Cllr Moore accused the ministers of breaching assurances that no action would be introduced until the authority had confirmed in writing that it agreed with what was proposed.
The council said ministers announced the new restrictions “with little consultation.”
Why were the leaders disappointed with the government’s decision?
Earlier this week, councils in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough broke ranks with other authorities in the area to ask the government to ban domestic mixing, as they had evidence to suggest that transmission was strongest among people visiting friends and relatives in their homes.
However, this would have protected pubs, restaurants and other businesses because people could still socialize in a controlled manner in responsible establishments where social distancing measures would be applied.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s announcement yesterday apparently took council leaders by surprise, because it not only banned household mixing, but also put an end to gathering of friends in pubs and restaurants. Now you can only go out to eat or drink with the people who live in your house.
Do people need to protect themselves again?
Not fortunately. The current national advice is that clinically or extremely vulnerable people do not need to protect themselves.
This advice does not change for people in Middlesbrough or Hartlepool in light of the new restrictions.
Are people forbidden to go to the pub?
Like we said, not at all, but you can only go with members of your household.
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