Pubs set for fresh curbs as No 10 cites hospitality spread

LONDON: Pubs and restaurants in coronavirus hotspots look set to face fresh restrictions after Downing Street said new data suggests there is “significant” transmission taking place in hospitality settings.

Downing Street said on Thursday that a “range of measures” is being looked at, with a particular focus on northern England, where it says infection rates are rising fastest.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick did not rule out pubs being ordered to shut in hotspots, while ministers are considering fresh financial packages to help the hardest hit areas and industries. But with infection rates soaring in cities including Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle, regional leaders criticised the government for not consulting them ahead of changes.

Leaked government documents disclosed that a new three-tier system for restrictions will be announced on Monday before measures come into force on Wednesday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: “We are seeing coronavirus cases rise across the entire country but they are rising faster in the North East and the North West.

“We are keeping the data under close review and we are considering a range of options to reduce the spread of the virus in order to protect communities and to protect the NHS.”

He suggested new restrictions on hospitality could be introduced in England as ministers come under pressure to act after Scotland announced fresh restrictions on the hospitality sector. “Early data does suggest that a significant proportion of exposure to the virus is seen in the hospitality sector, and that is even more pronounced in younger age groups where we have been seeing the most rapid rise in infections,” the spokesman said.

“The data is new and we will continue to gather evidence and review it.”

He added he is not yet in a position to publish it. Health minister Nadine Dorries said further measures are needed because hospital admissions could be at a “critical stage” in around 10 days’ time.

Earlier, Jenrick did not rule out telling pubs to shut as he warned cases in the North and Midlands areas including Nottingham were “rising fast and that is a serious situation”.

He added to BBC Breakfast that he was working with Chancellor Rishi Sunak to consider fresh support for the hospitality sector because businesses could be put in a “really difficult, intolerable position”.

Downing Street also hinted at financial help and did not rule out a fresh furlough scheme for the worst affected industries and per-head funding for local authorities. “Any decisions we take will not be made lightly; protecting jobs, particularly the two million in the UK’s hospitality sector, has been a priority throughout our response to the pandemic,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman said.

Ministers will announce a new three-tier Local Risk Levels approach to restrictions on Monday before they come into force on Wednesday, according to leaked documents disclosed by the Nottingham Post.

But the papers suggested that, while levels one and two have been signed off, ministers are still debating the details of level three. Regional leaders reacted angrily to national newspapers learning on Wednesday night of new restrictions to be imposed on their areas before they had been informed.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham tweeted: “No discussion. No consultation. Millions of lives affected by Whitehall diktat. It is proving impossible to deal with this Government.”

Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said it was “deeply disappointing” and called for financial support “on a similar scale” to during the national lockdown imposed in March.

Meanwhile, a Commons vote on the controversial 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants in England has been scheduled for Tuesday, paving the way for a rebellion on the Tory backbenches. But Johnson is likely to be spared a defeat after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer ruled out telling his MPs to oppose the measure in a “take-it-or-leave-it vote”.

Elsewhere, Dr Adam Kucharski, who advises the government as part of the scientific pandemic influenza group on modelling, warned that there are “pretty serious” outbreaks in parts of England.

In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a “short, sharp” package of measures to come into force in Scotland from 6pm on Friday. Under the new rules, indoor hospitality venues will only be allowed to operate between 6am and 6pm daily, selling food and non-alcoholic drinks only, while outdoor bars will be allowed to serve alcohol until 10pm.

In the five regions with the highest number of cases, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, licensed premises will have to shut for a 16-day period, although they can offer takeaway services.