One in five Britons now living under local Covid-19 restrictions

After new restrictions were announced for swathes of northern England over the last week , one in five of the country’s population are now living with specific orders to combat rising cases, analysis by The Telegraph has found.

Residents in Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham will not be allowed to socialise with other people outside their household or support bubble, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced last week.

Hospitality for food and drink will be restricted to table service only, and late night restrictions mean outlets will be subject to a 10pm curfew. 

The following day, similar restrictions were announced for Merseyside, Warrington, Halton and Lancashire. 

Wolverhampton and Oadby & Wigston in the Midlands were also on the list, along with areas of Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale in West Yorkshire which had previously had restrictions lifted. 

Local restrictions

Residents of Newcastle, Sunderland and Liverpool have now joined major cities including Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham in having local lockdowns imposed, although specific guidance differs between the affected areas.

With more than one million people living in Birmingham, and almost two million in the North East, the total number of people living under local lockdowns (see graphic below for a map of the affected areas) has now reached more than 13.5 million – 20 per cent of the population of Great Britain.

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