New Covid-19 restrictions to be announced tomorrow but Yorkshire leaders are still in the dark

Yorkshire leaders were still in the dark about whether their local areas will face tougher restrictions on the eve of Boris Johnson’s statement on the future of the lockdown measures.
New restrictions could be imposed in high-risk areasNew restrictions could be imposed in high-risk areas
New restrictions could be imposed in high-risk areas

Tomorrow the Prime Minister is expected to announce the Local Covid Alert Level system for managing the pandemic, comprising a tier system with three levels of measures depending on the impact of the virus in each area.

Tier 3 will have the most severe restrictions, which will likely include measures similar to the original national lockdown rules, including no contact with anyone outside their household and the closure of pubs and restaurants.

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Tier 2 could have measures similar to the restrictions currently in force across parts of West Yorkshire, meaning no mixing of households in places like pubs, homes and gardens.

And tier 1, which would have the most relaxed restrictions, is likely to be along the lines of current national guidelines, which include social distancing and the “rule of six” - meeting up in groups of no more than six people.

However, the three-tier system - or traffic light system, as some people are calling it - has not yet been formally announced and it is unclear what the exact specifications will be.

Downing Street is reportedly seeking to have more buy-in from local leaders for these measures after previously being criticised for a lack of communication, which saw councils and mayors finding out about local restrictions through the press or social media.

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As recently as this weekend, leaders across the north of England also criticised the Government’s approach to tighter lockdown measures, saying its economic package for businesses that needed to close because of new restrictions would cause “hardship”.

A letter signed by northern mayors, including Dan Jarvis, Sheffield City Region mayor, said the Government’s plans to cover two-thirds of the salaries of furloughed workers, compared with 80 per cent for the national furlough scheme, would treat hospitality workers in the north as “second-class citizens” and said northern leaders were considering launching a legal challenge.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), made up of leaders from across the county, wrote to the prime minister on Friday evening, stating its concern over “rumours in the media that we might be pushed into Level 3 of a new system set to be introduced, without any discussion or consultation”.

Numerous council leaders in the region told the Yorkshire Post yesterday they had had no meetings with the Government over the weekend.

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The WYCA said: “We have been informed that next week the Government is reviewing the restrictions in place across West Yorkshire. To avoid further measures being put in place we will need to ensure social distancing, self-isolation and other measures are being followed, and we have made clear that to do this effectively we need more support for our communities.”

Bradford Council leader Susan Hunchcliffe said it was “a really dangerous time” and urged members of the public to stick to the health messages in order to bring the rate down.

Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said he hoped any new measures would be applied fairly, given that large parts of North Yorkshire have extremely low rates of coronavirus.

He said: “I don’t know whether North Yorkshire will be part of Yorkshire-wide measures. We have areas of concern but the county as a whole has rates that are below the UK average.

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“If they were applied to the county as a whole, it could be hard on those areas with very low rates.”

This comes after York’s Director of Public Health Sharon Stoltz this weekend said "changing government policy" was making her job "incredibly difficult".

York’s seven-day average on Friday was 196 per 100,000 people, according to York Council.

When asked during an interview with BBC Radio why the city had not been named an area of concern, Ms Stoltz replied: "You tell me."

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A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire mayor Dan Jarvis said that conversations were still ongoing and he would be issuing guidance to the Government before the announcement is made.

In a rare move, Mr Johnson is holding a telephone conference with Cabinet members today.

Asked by Sophy Ridge on Sky News if local leaders would be given more control over test-and-trace efforts, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: "Yes, we want to work very closely with the local mayors and with the councils.

"We are going to be ensuring that the national testing infrastructure... works in harmony with what's happening locally.

"Because local councils and local communities are very good at contact tracing."

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