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Matt Hancock has announced tougher restrictions for millions of people in England.
The Health Secretary told MPs that from 12:01 a.m. on Saturday in the capital Essex and Elmbridge, Surrey, stricter restrictions would enter, banning people from indoor gatherings outside their homes and bubbles of support. .
Level 2 closures will also be implemented in Barrow-in-Furness, York, North East Derbyshire, Erewash and Chesterfield, it said.
But the move to intensify restrictions in Greater Manchester turned into chaos as conflicting talks with Greater Manchester leaders have so far failed to reach an agreement.
Local leaders are furious at attempts to change the area to the highest level, ‘Level 3’, where pubs and bars must close and households are prohibited from mixing indoors.
The Liverpool city region is the only part of the country to rank in the highest category so far.
Hancock said the threat from Covid-19 was “serious and serious” and that the virus was growing exponentially.
He told MPs: “Delayed action means more Covid deaths, it means more non-Covid deaths, and it means more economic pain later on.
“Because the virus goes down slower than it goes up.”
Hancock paid tribute to local leaders in Essex and Elmbridge for their work to suppress the virus as they announced tougher measures.
He said cases doubled in less than fifteen days at Barrow-in-Furness in York in northeast Derbyshire, at Erewash and Chesterfield, leading to the need for Level 2 restrictions.
He confirmed that talks were ongoing in high-risk areas such as Greater Manchester and Lancashire and that “rapid progress” was needed.
Greater Manchester leaders are fiercely opposed to efforts to bring the region to the highest level of Level 3 without a significant financial bailout for companies.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has threatened the government with legal action if it imposes the restrictions without the consent of local leaders.
Crucial meetings on Thursday were cut short without an agreement, and local MPs were infuriated by a call with Health Minister Helen Whately.
A MP present told The Mirror that it “started” when the minister claimed the government was listening, despite fierce opposition from Tory and Labor politicians on the call.
Burnham has warned that hospitality and other businesses will be devastated by the lack of financial support from the government if stricter rules go into effect.
Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth demanded clarity on whether decisions would be made Thursday in Greater Manchester and Lancashire.
“While I do not argue or oppose the public health interventions that he is doing, I fear that they are not yet supported by the financial package that is needed to mitigate the impact on employment and livelihoods,” he said.
Ashworth added that “more people will fall into poverty and destitution” without more financial support.
He reiterated Labor calls for a nationwide blockade of circuit breakers.
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