Coronavirus news you may have missed: Liverpool to enter ‘very high’ tier of lockdown as most Britons think government has no clear plan
Prime minister announces new restrictions as UK records nearly 14,000 new Covid-19 cases on Monday
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Your support makes all the difference.The government has announced a new lockdown system with tougher restrictions in certain parts of the country, in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The UK recorded 13,972 new coronavirus cases on Monday, with 50 deaths across the UK. It comes as government advisers warned that hospitals are now treating more patients for Covid-19 than when the first national lockdown was imposed in March.
Here is your daily round-up of coronavirus news you may have missed overnight.
Liverpool and rest of Merseyside to enter ‘very high’ tier of lockdown system
Boris Johnson announced a new coronavirus alert system on Monday, which will plunge millions of people in Liverpool and Merseyside into tougher restrictions.
Pubs and bars have been ordered to shut across Merseyside, and social gatherings indoors or in private gardens have been banned under the new restrictions.
The prime minister said immediate action was necessary because data on rising coronavirus cases were flashing “like dashboard warnings in a passenger jet”. However, he stopped short of ordering shops or restaurants to close down, even in the Liverpool City region, and schools and universities remain open throughout the country.
People from Merseyside are advised not to make non-essential journeys or stay overnight outside the region, but no further travel ban was announced.
Most Britons think government does not have a clear plan - poll
A snap YouGov poll has found that two thirds of Britons think the government does not have a clear plan to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
The poll was carried out after Boris Johnson announced the new three-tier lockdown system for England, which set out to “standardise” the different rules currently in place across the country.
According to the poll, 45 per cent of Tory voters said the government does not have a clear plan and 40 per cent of British adults say the new measures do not go far enough. Only 19 per cent think the measures “get the balance right”.
Sage asked for swathe of urgent lockdown measures three weeks ago, new documents show
The government’s scientific advisers told ministers a swathe of interventions would be required to reverse the alarming rise in daily coronavirus cases as long as three weeks ago, official documents show.
Sage recommended a two-week “circuit breaker” lockdown, defined as a short period of lockdown, to cut the number of cases, as well as the closure of all bars, restaurants, indoor gyms and hairdressers, alongside a ban on all contact with members of another household inside a home.
The minutes from the meeting, held on 21 September, were published quietly just hours after Boris Johnson announced a new three-tier lockdown system that appeared to fall short of what Sage suggested.
Scientists also advised that ministers should consider closing universities and limit teaching to virtual spaces unless face-to-face contact was deemed “essential”.
In the minutes, Sage admitted the extra restrictions would hurt the economy and “affect the poorest members of society to a greater extent”.
US reports first case of Covid-19 reinfection
The US has confirmed its first case of Covid-19 reinfection, causing more anxiety that exposure to the virus may not guarantee total immunity.
A 25-yearpold man from Nevada was infected with two distinct variants of Sars-CoV-2 – the virus that causes Covid-19 – within a 48-day period.
In a study published by The Lancet, lead author Professor Mark Pandori warned there are “still many unknowns” about the virus and the immune system’s response.
There have been at least four other reinfection cases confirmed globally, in Belgium, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Ecuador. Scientists have suggested the true figure is likely to be much higher.
Three students fined £10,000 each over house party for up to 100 people
Three students from the University of East Anglia have been handed £10,000 fines each after holding a house party for up to 100 people over the weekend.
Police were called to their home in Norwich early on Sunday morning and said the students had breached the ban on holding gatherings of more than 30 people under the coronavirus regulations.
A spokesperson for the University of East Anglia said the university supported the actions of the police, adding: “Students, like everyone else, have to adhere to the law and where there is a breach of the rules they should expect to face the same consequences as others in the community.”
The students also face possible disciplinary action from the university.
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