Looks like Johnson is following Scotland - Boris Johnson set to shut pubs and restaurants in northern England in new local lockdown - Daily Record
Boris Johnson is set to order pubs and restaurants to shut across much of northern England, including in Manchester and Liverpool, from Monday in a bid to halt the spiralling COVID-19 outbreaks there.
The move comes just hours after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon imposed similar restrictions across large swathes of Scotland for at least two weeks.
The Prime Minister has been forced to act after more than 14,000 new cases of coronavirus a day were reported in the past two days across the UK with several of the worst hotspots in the North West of England.
While the hospitality sector will shut, schools, offices and shops would remain open.
The new measures in northern England are expected to affect areas including Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham.
It comes as coronavirus cases continue to mount in the region, with the North West particularly bad hit.
Knowsley has the the highest coronavirus infection rate in England, with the Merseyside borough having 574.7 cases per 100,000 people, or one in every 174 contracting the disease.
Nearby Liverpool has the second highest rate, which has jumped from 342.3 to 551.6.
In comparison, Glasgow is the worst hit area in Scotland according to recent figures with 214.5 cases per 100,000.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is also finalising a new package of coronavirus support for the stricken hospitality industry, the Financial Times said late on Wednesday.
SNP leader Sturgeon had earlier said she would provide an additional £40million to support affected businesses.
Johnson is likely to face fierce resistance from MPs in his own party to the plan.
Many business owners have warned that they will not survive if forced to shut again following a nationwide lockdown earlier this year and a number of Tory MPs are sympathetic to their concerns.
The continuing economic damage was underlined by the announcement by Greene King that is was shutting dozens of pubs with the loss of 800 jobs, due to the "continued tightening of trading restrictions" in response to the pandemic.
A No10 source did not deny the lockdown plans but said a final decision had not yet been made.
Boris Johnson is set to order pubs and restaurants to shut across much of northern England, including in Manchester and Liverpool, from Monday in a bid to halt the spiralling COVID-19 outbreaks there.
The move comes just hours after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon imposed similar restrictions across large swathes of Scotland for at least two weeks.
The Prime Minister has been forced to act after more than 14,000 new cases of coronavirus a day were reported in the past two days across the UK with several of the worst hotspots in the North West of England.
While the hospitality sector will shut, schools, offices and shops would remain open.
The new measures in northern England are expected to affect areas including Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham.
It comes as coronavirus cases continue to mount in the region, with the North West particularly bad hit.
Knowsley has the the highest coronavirus infection rate in England, with the Merseyside borough having 574.7 cases per 100,000 people, or one in every 174 contracting the disease.
Nearby Liverpool has the second highest rate, which has jumped from 342.3 to 551.6.
In comparison, Glasgow is the worst hit area in Scotland according to recent figures with 214.5 cases per 100,000.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is also finalising a new package of coronavirus support for the stricken hospitality industry, the Financial Times said late on Wednesday.
SNP leader Sturgeon had earlier said she would provide an additional £40million to support affected businesses.
Johnson is likely to face fierce resistance from MPs in his own party to the plan.
Many business owners have warned that they will not survive if forced to shut again following a nationwide lockdown earlier this year and a number of Tory MPs are sympathetic to their concerns.
The continuing economic damage was underlined by the announcement by Greene King that is was shutting dozens of pubs with the loss of 800 jobs, due to the "continued tightening of trading restrictions" in response to the pandemic.
A No10 source did not deny the lockdown plans but said a final decision had not yet been made.
