No 10 is also expected to extend Level 3 lockdown measures to Greater Manchester as cases increase
London will be under high-risk coronavirus restrictions from Friday evening as infection rates in the capital continue to rise, MPs and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have confirmed
It comes as Boris Johnson is set to approve the toughest level 3 coronavirus measures for millions more in northern England later Thursday, as Downing Street put last-minute pressure on local leaders in Greater Manchester to accept the changes
Health Secretary Matt Hancock will make the official announcement of the new restrictions in a statement in the House of Commons later Thursday
Health Minister Helen Whately informed London MPs in a conference call Thursday morning that London will move to Level 2 restrictions, meaning people must not meet with anyone outside their homes or support the bubble in an indoor environment, whether at home or in a public place People should also aim to avoid public transport
Schools, universities and places of worship can remain open and all businesses can continue to operate with Covid security measures, although the measure is likely to significantly affect more than 3,000 pubs and 7,000 restaurants in London
Speaking after a meeting with Number 10, Khan said the virus « is spreading rapidly to every corner of our city » London will soon reach an average of 100 cases per 100,000 population – a significant number of boroughs already exceeding that threshold Khan said he had made it clear to the government that London would need financial support for businesses, workers and public services The mayor said he wanted more action, including a nationwide ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown which he said could « save thousands of lives, bring the virus back to manageable levels and give the government more time to finally get its failed test and trace system under control » Khan said London had « a difficult winter ahead But, just what we have always done throughout the great history of our city, I know that we will come through this dark time by uniting «
MPs on the phone with Whately said there were significant concerns about the increase in the number of Covid cases among those over 60 and the doubling of all cases every 7-10 days Most affected are the boroughs of West London, including Ealing, Richmond-upon-Thames and Harrow, as well as Redbridge and Hackney in East London
Several Tory MPs, including Stephen Hammond and Bromley of Wimbledon, and Bob Neill of Chislehurst, have raised concerns over the London-wide restrictions and called for their implementation on a district-by-district basis
Labor MPs urged ministers to consider a financial package to support city businesses Harrow West MP Gareth Thomas said: ‘While I support the move to Level 2, there will be more more business closures, more job losses and greater hardship if additional support is not urgently announced Ministers could do more to help London businesses but so far appear determined not to «
Hampstead and Kilburn MP Tulip Siddiq said voters wouldn’t know why the change was happening so soon after the levels system was unveiled on Monday
« We all understand that the situation is changing rapidly, but there is a lot of confusion over why the rules change just days after the level system was announced and over the new rules, » he said. she declared « Crystal clear communications are needed from government to make this work Instead, the way it is managed only adds to the confusion »
Andy Burnham, Labor Mayor of Greater Manchester, will speak this morning with No.10 Burnham has been reluctant to put his region in the ‘very high’ risk category, which would mean the closure of pubs that do not serve no food and a ban on mixing households, and said the proposed financial support program is not sufficient
Greater Manchester MPs will have a mid-morning phone briefing on Thursday with Whately, where a MP said they expected to be informed their region will be placed at Level 3, along with Merseyside Lancashire MPs are also due to make a call with Health Minister Jo Churchill
At level one, in addition to national restrictions and rules, for example on the use of face masks in retail environments and on public transport, residents are expected to:
The move was recommended by Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty at a meeting of the Joint Biosafety Center last night
Former government adviser on poverty and homelessness Dame Louise Casey has warned that the UK could become a country where families ‘can’t put shoes’ on children and said that current levels of financial support are not reducing it
The government will pay two-thirds of wages from November 1 for workers in companies forced to close under level 3 restrictions, up from 80% compared to the previous leave scheme, with the government’s contribution capped at £ 69792 per month
Casey said it ‘wasn’t going to be good enough’ to keep families from falling into misery ‘It’s like telling people,’ You can only afford two-thirds of your rent , you can only afford two-thirds of the food you need to put on the table, « she told the BBC
« There is this feeling of Downing Street and Westminster that people are going to do with Well, they weren’t facing Covid before »
Level 3 lockdown, level 3 restrictions, level 3
News from around the world – GB – London will face tighter Covid restrictions from Friday evening
