Millions more people in England will be subject to tougher coronavirus restrictions that could last at least four months, Boris Johnson has warned, as northern leaders said they would fiercely resist a return to the highest tier.
The prime minister is expected to unveil plans on Tuesday to let a limited number of households mix indoors for up to five days over Christmas. However, he cautioned that people “will need to make a careful judgment about the risk of visiting elderly relatives”.
It was also confirmed that the test-and-trace system will get a £7bn funding boost, taking it cost to £22bn this year, as part of an expanded programme of mass testing.
England will emerge from national lockdown into a fresh, tiered system of controls from 2 December, Johnson confirmed to the Commons on Monday. Millions are set to enter or re-enter tier 3 curbs, under which pubs and restaurants will remain closed and restricted to takeaways. In tier 2, hospitality businesses will only be allowed to serve alcohol with a “substantial meal”.
Johnson warned that “more regions will fall – at least temporarily – into higher levels than before” when details are finalised on Thursday. Before the decision is announced, leaders in north-west England are expected to argue that cases there are slowing dramatically compared with in London and the south-east.
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Boris Johnson sets out ‘tougher’ tiered restrictions for England during Commons debate – video
Unlike under the previous system, there will be no negotiation with local leaders, in an attempt to prevent a repeat of bitter public disputes. Financial support will be allocated on a uniform per-capita basis following a damaging row with the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham.
Dan Jarvis, the mayor of the Sheffield city region, said the system could not continue to disproportionately affect the poorest regions without negotiation with local leaders, or it would risk losing trust.
“This pandemic has hit some of the most disadvantaged parts of the country the hardest. Many of those parts may now be asked to remain under serious restrictions while the rest of the country faces a lesser burden,” he said. “We’re willing to do our bit, but we must not be taken for granted. We’re already sacrificing a great deal when we can ill afford it.
“Consistency and fairness is the essential condition of all of this. You can’t refuse to negotiate with local governments but then say lockdowns are a matter of judgment. You can’t refuse to negotiate and then not give us the support we need. You have to get it right.”
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