London spared as Boris Johnson introduces regional coronavirus lockdowns

Boris Johnson has avoided a nationwide lockdown, but has introduced a regional three-tier system.

Boris Johnson addresses the House of Commons on Monday night. Picture: AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has avoided a nationwide lockdown, but has introduced a three-tier system of measures in regional areas in a bid to suppress the coronavirus.

Areas in the north — including Liverpool, Nottinghamshire, East and West Cheshire, and a small area of High Peak, Derbyshire, where the virus infections are increasing at a high rate — have been categorised in the “very high’’ tier and will face tougher new restrictions from Wednesday night.

In the “very high” tier, pubs and bars, gyms, leisure centres, casinos and betting shops will be closed and social mixing indoors and in private gardens banned.

The news was received with dismay. Liverpool Chamber of Commerce chief executive Paul Cherpeau said businesses across the city were “bewildered, frustrated and angry” and confidence has been badly damaged.

“Whilst our visitor economy will bear the brunt of these new restrictions, the percolating effect on supply chains is hugely concerning, in addition to the psychological impact upon our citizens, business owners and ­investors,’’ he said.

Mr Johnson said there were now more people in hospital with coronavirus than when the country went into a full lockdown on March 23 and in the past week deaths had increased sixfold.

On Monday 50 people with coronavirus died and there were 13,972 new infections announced.

But Mr Johnson said there should not be another full lockdown, nor an easing of restrictions. The Prime Minister said “bleak mathematics’’ would lead to deaths and the National Health Service being overwhelmed if restrictions were abandoned and the disease left to run its course.

Mr Johnson also told the House of Commons on Tuesday night that while there was “a good chance of a vaccine, it cannot be taken for granted’’, highlighting that there is still no vaccine for SARS, which first emerged 18 years ago.

Mr Johnson said £1bn would be made immediately available to local authorities, including provision of military services and support for test and trace in local areas in England.

Most of England is under the “medium’’ tier, which involves restrictions on socialising to six people and closure of pubs at 10pm.

The next tier of “high’’ will ban social mixing indoors, while “very high’’ will shut down commercial venues such as pubs and clubs, ban wedding receptions and restrict movement within and out of the area.

Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the Scottish system would align as closely as possible with the rest of the UK, but that Scotland would decide its own rules. A spokesman for London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “As of today, London is at ‘medium’ in the government’s new alert levels. However, Londoners should understand that this could change very quickly — potentially even this week.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has put on standby temporary critical care Nightingale hospitals in Harrogate, Manchester and Sunderland in case infections increase beyond the capacity of local hospitals.