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Scotland took steps to isolate itself from England today after tough new Covid restrictions were announced in swaths of the northeast amid a surge in the coronavirus.
Scots were told to only cross the border into Northumberland for ‘essential purposes’ like work and school after a new local shutdown left 10 million Britons facing tougher restrictions.
The rules, which include a 10pm curfew in pubs and bars, will affect Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Northumberland, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and County Durham.
Dr Keith Allan, director of public health for NHS Borders, said travel was only recommended for ‘essential purposes’, including school and work, The Scotsman reported.
“We continue to see increased numbers of Covid-19 cases across the UK, and our neighboring Northumberland local authority area now faces restrictions on mixing of people and pub curfews,” he said.
“As a result, we recommend that people at the borders only travel to Northumberland for essential purposes, such as school or work, and they should be very vigilant.”
Tough new measures were announced yesterday to control the spread of the coronavirus in northeast England, bringing the total number of Britons under lockdown to around ten million. In the photo, English border marker
Dr Keith Allan (pictured), director of public health for NHS Borders, said that travel was only recommended for “ essential purposes ” including school and work, The Scotsman reported
Meanwhile, restrictions including a pub and restaurant curfew and a ban on socializing outside of homes are being introduced in parts of the North West, the Midlands and West Yorkshire starting Tuesday as the government steps up its action.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has released data showing Sunderland has an infection rate of 103 cases per 100,000.
In South Tyneside and Gateshead, the latest rates were 93.4 and 83.6 respectively.
Cross-border travel, particularly to Berwick upon Tweed, is an everyday occurrence. Since September 13, an average of 61,000 vehicles have crossed the border each day.
The week before it saw 63,000 and the week before it had 66,000.
Yesterday, 3,395 more positive coronavirus tests were revealed, bringing the UK total to more than 382,000 since the pandemic began.
About 21 deaths were announced yesterday, meaning the death toll has reached 41,705 in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Comes like Mr Hancock today He admitted that a new national offensive is being prepared, as he warned that infections are “accelerating throughout the country” and that more people will die due to the pandemic.
The last strip of blockades, which will mean that a total of around 12 million people are under restrictions, occurred when the Secretary of Health pleaded with the public to ‘unite to fight this virus’, with the imminent prospect of steps still more draconian.
The last areas facing the lockdown are Lancashire, Merseyside, Warrington, Halton, Wolverhampton, Oadby & Wigston, and parts of Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale.
Coronavirus cases have risen rapidly across North East England. Newcastle has seen a sharp increase in its weekly infection rate, from 51.2 cases per 100,000 people to 64.1 in the seven days to September 13.
Speaking today, Hancock said that a national lockdown was the “last line of defense.” But he warned it was a “great moment for the country” with cases now doubling every eight days and, unless the “Rule of Six” restrictions work, more will have to be done.
“The virus is clearly accelerating across the country,” he told Sky News. ‘We have to take the necessary measures to keep people safe. We will do whatever it takes to keep people safe. ‘
Around ten million people across the UK are now in intervention areas, including parts of Greater Manchester, Leicester and Scotland. But neither Middlesbrough and Hartlepool in the northeast, two other authorities officially named as a hotspot by Public Health England, were affected by the new measures announced yesterday.
The rising number of infections in London and Leeds has also sparked warnings that cities could soon head in the same direction as the Northeast with additional restrictions. And in North Yorkshire ‘full emergency mode’ was declared after cases increased by 167% in the first week of September.
There are also fears that the thousands of students returning to universities in the Northeast could cause the infection rate to spike even further despite the draconian measures. Around 40,000 students are expected to return en masse to Newcastle University in the coming days, as well as nearly 20,000 to Durham University.
Pubs, bars and restaurants in areas where the new restrictions will apply (Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham) can now only offer table service.
The Gateshead Arms’ Sean Southern told MailOnline yesterday about the impact the new restrictions are likely to have on business.
He said: ‘We used to be open until 12.30am, then because of Covid we cut it down to 11pm and now they tell us we have to close at 10pm
“Those hours are absolutely crucial for us, and probably our busiest time for those who want to have a few drinks before going further or going home.
“ There are a few bars in the area that have closed in recent weeks, so we have recently accepted those customers as well as our regular customers.
“Things seemed to be looking up and then all of a sudden last night they told us that there were going to be big changes and we really hadn’t had time to prepare.
“People forget that closing at 10pm also has an impact on staff who might have wanted to pick up some overtime.”
Some 2,350 pubs and restaurants were affected by the measures, according to real estate consultant Altus Group.
Speaking about the number of Britons under lockdown rules reaching 10 million, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: ‘Labor warned months ago that unless the government spent the summer fixing the testing regime We will face a bleak winter
“The government ignored that advice, the testing regime is crumbling, so it is not surprising that national restrictions are back on the table.”
