[ad_1]
Around 1.4 million people in South Yorkshire will face living under England’s toughest coronavirus restrictions, Mayor Dan Jarvis announced.
The change to Level 3 will affect Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, and will take effect from 12:01 on Saturday.
Jarvis revealed that local leaders raised £ 41 million in government funding to “support our people and businesses” affected by the change that will particularly affect hospitality workers and taxi drivers.
Local leaders have secured £ 41 million in government funding.
He said that “while infection rates vary” in South Yorkshire, “collective action was the only practical option to keep everyone in our region safe.”
And Mr Jarvis added that “the number of people with COVID in our hospitals has doubled in the last ten days, with no signs that this will subside in the next few weeks,” so “inaction was not an option.”
But he promised that if the new restrictions work, individual councils will be able to move to lower alert levels and reduce restrictions “as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones said she understood the concerns of residents and businesses, but cautioned: “There is an undeniable truth that our infection rates are spiraling up.”
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said “quick action” was needed as South Yorkshire coronavirus the rates are “among the highest in the country.”
And he insisted that the new measures “will only be in force as long as they are absolutely necessary”, reviewed within four weeks.
Yorkshire and Humber Nightingale Hospital has been put on hold to reopen
But South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings said ministers had to communicate why the measure was necessary.
He said: “The government must understand that people will continue to abide by the rules as long as they feel that what is being proposed is not just reactive, but part of a longer-term strategy to defeat the virus.
“How the Level 3 constraints fit into that strategy needs careful, constant and consistent explanation.”
The change means residents are prohibited from mingling with other homes indoors and most outdoor spaces, and pubs and bars are forcibly closed unless they can function as restaurants and non-essential travel is discouraged.
West Yorkshire council leaders said they had not held talks with ministers, but a decision was made to maintain Level 2 restrictions in the area.
The measure will affect workers of hotel companies
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also expected to make a statement on South Yorkshire later today, according to Mr. Jenrick.
The cabinet minister denied that relations with some local leaders were breaking down after the collapse of negotiations with Greater Manchester politicians, saying the conversations with Jarvis had been “very productive.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
But Lisa Nandy, a Wigan MP and Labor’s shadow foreign secretary, told Sky News: “It really feels like this government now is not only not helping us, but actively working against us to inflict harm. to their own citizens. “
Last week, Johnson told three NHS Nightingale hospitals, established during the first COVID-19 peak to prevent the health service from being overwhelmed – to prepare to start accepting patients again, including the Yorkshire and Humber.
