LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s government said it would place Warrington in northwest England into the highest tier of its COVID alert system from Tuesday, joining the larger nearby cities of Manchester and Liverpool in facing further curbs on pubs and socialising.
More than 44,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Britain, which has Europe’s highest death rate for the disease, and the number of new daily infections has also increased sharply since September, with nearly 20,000 new cases reported on Sunday.
Under so-called Tier 3 restrictions, people in England are barred from socialising with others who are not part of their own household, whether inside or outdoors, and pubs and bars which do not serve food must close.
Schools, universities and workplaces remain open, though people are encouraged to work from home where possible.
“People should try to avoid travelling outside the very high alert level or entering a very high alert level area, other than for work, education or for caring responsibilities or to travel through as part of a longer journey,” the health ministry said.
Warrington, which has a population of 200,000, will come under the restrictions from 0001 GMT on Tuesday, joining around 7 million other people across northern England where the number of cases is highest.
(Reporting by David Milliken; editing by William James)
