Coronavirus: stricter national rules considered by the government

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Reuters

The UK government is considering measures across New England that could force hotel businesses to close to try to stem a second surge in coronavirus cases.

A short period of national rules – a “circuit breaker” of a few weeks – could be announced next week, said the BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg.

Schools and most workplaces would remain open during those weeks.

But no final decisions have been made about the next course of action yet.

At a meeting Wednesday night, the government’s top scientific and medical adviser predicted another serious outbreak of the disease.

They predicted that there would be a significant number of deaths by the end of October if there were no more interventions.

Possible measures being discussed include calling for the closure of some hotel businesses or limiting the opening hours of some pubs and restaurants across the country.

The virus is now known to double every seven to eight days, with more than 3,300 new cases reported Thursday.

It comes as nearly two million people in the northeast of England are the last to face local lockdown rules, which took effect on Friday. The restrictions will prohibit people from gathering with other households, and restaurants and pubs will be required to close at 22:00 BST.

New local blocking rules will also be established for Lancashire, with the exception of Blackpool, the BBC understands.

The four nations of the UK are in charge of their own blocking restrictions, with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland implementing slightly different rules than England.

• Coronavirus cases in the UK rose by 3,395 on Thursday
• What areas are closed?

Options for ministers

Under the so-called “circuit break,” the restrictions could be reintroduced in some public spaces across the country for a period of a few weeks, but schools and workplaces would remain open.

One of the ideas suggested by the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) is that some parts of the hotel sector could be called out.

No. 10 is also considering limiting the opening hours of pubs and restaurants across the country, as has already happened in some areas.

However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is understood to be deeply reluctant to order another national shutdown, where everyone will be asked to stay home and shut down businesses.

This week he described the potential impact of a second national lockdown on the economy as “disastrous.”

On Thursday morning, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is believed to have issued warnings about the damage to the economy.

And ministers are also concerned about the impact of more restrictions on the daily lives of those who need treatment for non-Covid-related illnesses.

However, the government has yet to make any final decisions on the next course of action.

It’s still unclear what impact this week’s new rule banning social gatherings of more than six people will have on the rate of increase, and the number 10 continues to monitor data and receive scientific advice.

But it seems increasingly likely that within the next week, the prime minister will tighten national rules again, our correspondent said.

On Friday, parts of northeast England were joined by other areas of the UK to come under local lockdown rules.

The measures affect Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Northumberland, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and the Durham County Council area.

In addition to the ban on home mixing and the early closure of pubs and restaurants, people are also required to use public transport only for essential travel, and nursing homes are closed to visitors.

• Read more: The local blockade of North East England begins

The government is expected to make an announcement about a possible shutdown in North West England later on Friday.

The restrictions for Lancashire, but not Blackpool, are expected to include a similar ban on household mixing and a requirement for hospitality businesses to close earlier.

It is not yet known when the measures will be introduced, although the BBC understands that it will be imminent.

There are also local lockdown restrictions in other parts of the UK, including Birmingham, Greater Manchester, Caerphilly and the Belfast council area.

In other key developments:

• The number of new weekly cases in Europe has exceeded the number reported during the first peak of the pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization in Europe has warned.
• The head of the UK government’s testing system, which has faced criticism in recent weeks, said the demand for reserve testing was three to four times the amount available.
• People arriving in England and Scotland from Singapore and Thailand will not need to self-quarantine from Saturday morning.

• Figures show that nearly two-thirds of adults now commute to work again

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