Government set to unveil new UK coronavirus restrictions
The UK government is today expected to announce a raft of new restrictions to tackle the growing second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Prime Minister will unveil a three-tier system designed to simplify the UK’s local lockdown restrictions.
Leaders from the Liverpool City Region said last night that it will be placed in the strictest third tier under the new system, which will force pubs, bars, gyms and casinos to close for the second time.
Liverpool’s metro mayor Steve Rotheram said any closures would need to be accompanied by financial support from the government.
“Our primary focus has always been to protect lives and livelihoods while controlling the spread of the virus, and these measures will help achieve that aim,” a spokesperson from Boris Johnson’s Downing Street office said in a statement.
Johnson is expected to set out a new system of “local Covid alert levels” of medium, high or very high, aimed at helping tailor restrictions for different parts of England.
Downing Street was keen to emphasise the new system had been widely discussed with regional leaders.
Johnson will hold a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee today, before addressing parliament and offering MPs a vote later in the week on the measures.
He will also hold a press conference alongside England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor of the exchequer.