Health Secretary Matt Hancock is set to unveil a new three-tier local-level “Covid alert” system for local areas. It is believed the new system is being brought in to streamline coronavirus guidelines, and give more powers to authorities to slam cities with draconian lockdown measures. It comes as the UK’s coronavirus cases have started rising at levels higher than the initial outbreak, along with the controversy over missing cases due to errors with spreadsheets.
The planned “Covid alert” system will function similar to a “traffic light”, with three stages of restrictions, according to Government documents obtained by the Guardian.
The plans are intended to simplify local lockdown guidelines, which currently apply to nearly 25 percent of the UK.
Level three restrictions, according to the draft proposal, could include the closure of hospitality and leisure businesses, no social contact outside your household in any setting, restrictions on overnight stays away from home and no organised non-professional sports permitted or other communal hobby groups and activities, such as social clubs in community centres.
The details of the new system are set to be finalised by ministers within the coming days, with discussions being held on how far new restrictions should go.
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Downing Street declined to comment on the leaked documents, and a government source told the Guardian it was an “early draft and proposals are still being considered by ministers”.
When asked whether more restrictions for northern cities is incoming, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson refused to confirm.
He said: “We keep the data under constant review by looking at a wide range of data in terms of the number of positive cases per 100,000 people, also the number of hospitalisations, the number of people who are moved into intensive care units and also sadly the number of deaths.
“We have always set out that if there is a need to go further on a local basis then we won’t hesitate to do what is required to protect the NHS and protect lives.”
The leak also follows Mr Johnson has faced a rebellion from Tory MPs over continued coronavirus restrictions.
MPs voted yesterday evening to keep the controversial “rule of six” and 10pm curfews in place in spite of opposition from party members.
The regulations passed 287 to 17, with 12 Tory MPs voting against their own Government.
Steve Barker, MP for Wycombe, said of the restrictions: “It’s not clear now that the benefit outweighs the costs of lockdown. We have to ask whether this set of circumstances is really what we want.”
The UK reported 14,542 new daily cases of coronavirus on Tuesday.
It also reported 76 new deaths, according to the Office of National Statistics.
The new figures bring the UK to a total of 530,113 cases and 42,445 deaths.
The UK ranks 13th for worldwide case totals, but fifth for global deaths from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
