Newcastle City Council hit out at Government changes to Covid-19 restrictions "without warning"

Local lockdown measures in the North East have been tightened in a bid to stop an even greater explosion of Covid-19 cases.

Health secretary Matt Hancock has announced that the region will be subject to even tougher restrictions than those already imposed – as coronavirus infection rates continue to rise.

The new measures will mean that people from different households will be banned under law from mixing indoors in any setting, including pubs or restaurants, and will face fines for doing so.

They will come into force on Wednesday, September 30 – but will not apply to Covid-secure schools and workplaces.

Under the regulations that came into force on September 18, almost two million people in Newcastle, Northumberland, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland, and County Durham were banned from socialising with other people outside of their own households or support bubbles in private homes and gardens.

People were also advised not to socialise with people outside of their household in any public venue either, but that was only guidance and not against the law – though that will now change.

Mr Hancock told the House of Commons that there will be “legal restrictions on indoor mixing between households in any setting”.

The government later confirmed that visits to other households for informal childcare, such as grandparents looking after children, will still be permitted under the revised rules “as long as they are consistent”.

The Health Secretary said: “Unfortunately the number of cases continues to rise sharply. The incident rate across the area is now over 100 cases per 100,000.

“We know that a large number of these infections are taking place in indoor settings outside the home. And so, at the request of the local councils with whom we have been working closely, we will introduce legal restrictions on indoor mixing between households in any setting.”

He added: “We do not take these steps lightly, but we must take them and take them now because we know that swift action is more likely to bring the virus under control.

“And the quicker we can get this virus under control the quicker we can restore the freedoms we all enjoy in the North East and across the country.”

The government said it was in the process of agreeing a funding package with local councils to “support the measures and tackle the rising infection rate”.

Pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues also remain limited to table service only and have a 10pm curfew.

Coronavirus infection rates have continued to rise rapidly across the area in the past week – with Newcastle, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Gateshead, Northumberland, and North Tyneside all in the top 30 council areas with the highest number of new cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to September 24, according to latest Public Health England figures.

But Leader of Newcastle City Council, Nick Forbes said:

"While we have been in discussions with the Government on potential further restrictions the Secretary of State has once again stood up and announced changes without telling us he was about to do so.

"We want to work constructively with the government but the way these measures are being communicated in headlines and without detail does nothing for public confidence.

"We have demanded clarity on the new restrictions, testing and support for those businesses most affected."

The Department for Health and Social Care says Covid secure schools and workplaces are not affected by the updated rules.

Alongside this, they say a funding package is being agreed with councils to support the measures and tackle the rising infection rate, with further details to be confirmed.