Parts of the North East of England could be put under stricter lockdown restrictions from tonight - including a 10pm curfew for pubs.
Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes said “additional, temporary” measures are being planned to prevent another full lockdown, and it is expected that Health Secretary Matt Hancock will make an announcement on Thursday morning.
He and public health officials have requested a 10pm curfew on pubs, restaurants and other licensed premises, and a move to table service only.
The restrictions will reportedly apply to Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, County Durham and Sunderland – which have all seen rises in cases, according to the latest weekly rates.
READ MORE: Analysis: If the experts can't agree - what hope is there for the public?
On Thursday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon refused to rule out imposing a similar curfew on pubs if coronavirus cases continue to rise in Scotland.
Ms Sturgeon said the proposal of a curfew on hospitality venues was being kept "under review".
Speaking at her daily briefing, she said: "I can't stand here and rule anything categorically out.
"We see other countries that have introduced curfews on hospitality, including Belgium, which they think have had an impact.
"These are all things that we have to keep under review. But I don't want to have to do any of these things.
"It comes back to the key point - the way to try and avoid further severe restrictions is to abide rigidly to the ones in place right now.”
A YouGov poll found that 71% of Scots would back a pub curfew in the country.
A total of 4282 adults across the UK were asked: Would you support or oppose a 9pm curfew on pubs and bars to help reduce COVID-19 cases?
In Scotland, 39 per cent said they were strongly in favour of the rule, while a further 32 per cent said they somewhat supported the idea.
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