A new local lockdown is about to rush parts of northern England into much stricter rules with pub closures and travel bans Here’s what we know about levels 1, 2 and 3, and who could be affected
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Boris Johnson is expected to announce a new three-tier local lockdown system for England on Monday
Each zone will be placed in one of the three levels of the plan – and those most affected could see the pubs close, take back the shield and ban non-essential travel
The Prime Minister’s aides spent the weekend locked in discussions with local leaders and held a conference call with his cabinet on Sunday afternoon
But some of the key decisions were still being debated hours before his Monday afternoon speech in the House of Commons
And Tory ministers have been locked in a stalemate with local leaders saying there needs to be more salary support before their pubs shut down
The Conservative leader of Bolton Council has joined forces with Labor mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and other leaders in the north to call for an improvement in the wage package
Yet Conservative Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick has rejected calls for fundraising, saying ‘We can’t do it all’
So what does Boris Johnson have to announce tomorrow – and more importantly, how will that affect you? Here’s what we know
The Prime Minister will take stock in Parliament after 330 hours on the government’s fight against the coronavirus
This has two purposes: to replace the confusing mishmash of local rules and impose stricter rules in areas of England where the virus is rampant
This will see each area of England placed in one of three levels depending on the severity of the virus
The new system will be called Local Covid Alert Levels – and they’re unlikely to look like a traffic light
Rather than having a green « low risk » option, the levels should be labeled « medium », « high » or « very high »
Boris Johnson is also set to give more control to contact tracing councils after privatized NHS Test and Trace failed to tell thousands to self-isolate
And northern leaders want him to announce a new wage package – more info below
This will standardize the mishmash system of local locks in England so that they are easier to understand
At the moment, over 50 regions in England are subject to a confusing array of local foreclosure rules
For example, in Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham it is illegal to meet someone you don’t live with in a house or private garden
But what about the pub? In Liverpool, it’s illegal; in Manchester it is against advice, and in Birmingham it is allowed, as long as you are not in a group of more than six people
In the new system, you will just have to find out what level you live in and check the rules from there
However, there may still be specific measures for local areas, even in addition to what is advertised
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said zones will have the « flexibility » to go further or propose specific measures beyond the three-tier system
Level 1 is for the least affected areas and should reflect the current national rules for England These include:
Level 2 is for high risk areas and is expected to reflect current local lockdown rules which already apply to over 10 million people in England This could include:
Level 3 is for high risk areas and should go much further than current local lockdown rules
Details are still being debated between ministers and councils, but leaks suggest this could include:
Protection resumes: reports suggest clinically vulnerable people in these areas may be asked to protect themselves again for the first time since August No funding to help them do so has yet been confirmed
But schools and workplaces remain open: ministers have made it clear that schools will be the last thing to close
A full list of levels for each region of England should – hopefully – be announced at the time of the Prime Minister’s statement But no one can agree (more below)
The only areas we know of are those where the local council or mayor has indicated what level they expect to be
The Liverpool City region is set to be among the first areas to enter Level 3 this week – but other areas, including Greater Manchester, were still stuck in talks with the government on Sunday
Even after the levels are agreed, there may not be a clear way of knowing when you are going to go up or down
The key measure is the number of new cases per 100,000 people last week
But that’s not the only thing the government will be looking at – it will also look at the hospitalization rate, the growth rate of the virus, and whether the numbers are being skewed by a specific outbreak like a factory or university
Northern leaders call for more help for workers whose businesses are closed or left unsustainable
As part of a program announced on Friday, anyone whose site is forcibly closed can receive two-thirds of their regular salary paid by the state from November 1
But local leaders, including the Conservative leader of the Bolton Council, want that percentage to drop from 67% to 80% as in the original holiday program
Critics also warn the program is leaving a million workers dry in industries that are nearly shut down by Covid, but have not been closed by law
Greater Manchester Underground Mayor Andy Burnham said: ‘If there is to be any form of foreclosure it must be accompanied by the same support that was provided earlier this year »
Below is a list of regions which all have more than 200 new cases per 100,000 population
This does not mean that these areas will enter the highest level – it just means that they are more at risk than other areas
The following list reads as follows: name of local authority; rate of new cases in the seven days to October 6; number (in brackets) of new cases registered in the seven days prior to October 6; rate of new cases in the seven days to September 29; number (in parentheses) of new cases registered in the seven days preceding September 29
Boris Announcement
World News – UK – What Boris Johnson is going to announce – and how the three-level lock hits you
