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A man and a woman wear masks in Cardiff, which will see stricter rules starting Sunday
More than a quarter of the UK population will be under the coronavirus lockdown rules, as new measures go into effect this weekend.
Starting Saturday in England, households from Leeds, Wigan, Stockport and Blackpool will be banned from mingling in their homes or gardens.
In Wales, Llanelli will be subject to new rules from 18:00 BST, with Cardiff and Swansea following 24 hours later.
It occurs when the rate at which the virus spreads appears to accelerate.
The R number, which indicates how many people someone infects with coronavirus, has risen in the last week and now stands between 1.2 and 1.5. A number greater than 1 means that the virus is spreading within the community.
Meanwhile, the daily number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the UK reached a record 6,874, government figures showed on Friday.
- What areas are under local blockade?
- What are the UK coronavirus rules?
In England, the “rule of six” and a closing time of 10pm for pubs and restaurants applies nationally.
But there are also additional restrictions in much of the North East and North West of England, West Yorkshire and the Midlands, where the infection rate is highest.
The latest rules for Leeds, Wigan, Stockport and Blackpool went into effect at midnight and prohibit different households from mixing within private homes or gardens.
Support bubbles are not affected and friends and family can still provide informal child care for children under 14 years of age.
People are also advised not to socialize with people they do not live with in any other environment, including bars, shops, and parks.
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Later on Saturday, Wales, where the R number is between 0.7 and 1.2, will see its first city-only closure, with people in Llanelli in Carmarthenshire banned from leaving the city or mingling indoors with anyone outside your home.
The same rules will apply to the two largest cities in Wales, Cardiff and Swansea, at 6pm on Sunday. People will not be able to enter or leave the areas without a reasonable excuse, the Government of Wales has said.
It means that by the end of the weekend, about half the population of Wales will be under lockdown – 1.5 million people.
And the total number of people across the UK living under stricter rules will be 17 million.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he recognized “the burden and impact these additional measures have on our daily lives, but we must act collectively and quickly to reduce infections.”
It comes as London was added to the government’s Covid-19 watch list, with all districts classified as areas of concern.
Meanwhile, up to 1,700 Manchester Metropolitan University students have been told to self-isolate for two weeks in their student residences, after a series of positive tests for Covid-19.
The students said that they saw security and police officers outside their accommodation and that “they were told that we could not leave.”
And students in Scotland have been told not to socialize with anyone outside of their accommodation or go to pubs, parties or restaurants this weekend in an attempt to stop the outbreaks.
In Scotland, new rules prohibit people from visiting other people’s homes, while in Northern Ireland people are not allowed to mingle indoors.
In other developments:
- The UK will donate £ 500 million to a new global vaccine exchange scheme designed to ensure that treatments for Covid-19 are distributed fairly.
- Demand for coronavirus testing has almost tripled among young children in England this month, but only 1% were found to have the virus, the figures show.
- The World Health Organization has warned that a global death toll from coronavirus could reach two million before an effective vaccine is widely used.
- Less than 0.1% of people arrested by police for not wearing masks on trains received a fine, figures have revealed.
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