Hospitality venues in north-east England face curfew as lockdown restrictions tighten
As first reported by ChronicleLive, the current plan is for the measures, which also include a ban on socialising with anyone outside your household, to come into force just after midnight on Friday morning (September 18), in a bid to reverse a 'dramatic spike' in Coronavirus cases across the region.
The restrictions are understood to apply to Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, County Durham and Sunderland, but not Teesside.
They will cover a population of approximately 1.5 million people.
According to The Guardian, multiple sources have confirmed that the measures will include a 10pm curfew on pubs and bars, but it is being widely reported that the restrictions will apply to restaurants also.
Robert Jenrick, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, confirmed the implementation of new restrictions when he appeared on ITV’s Peston programme on Wednesday evening (16 September).
He said: “The number of cases has been rising rapidly in many parts of the country, but particularly in the north-east, and so a decision has been made to impose further restrictions there.
“A full announcement will be made tomorrow, so people living in that part of the country should watch out for that, and the measures come into play at midnight on Thursday evening. Over the course of the day a full briefing will be made available to councils and the business community.”
