Hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people reportedly face being told to start shielding again due to rising case numbers in large parts of the country.
The advice to avoid other people wherever possible is being considered as part of a new three-tier local lockdown system to be announced next week, according to The Times.
The simplified system is designed to make local measures easier to understand amid what Health Secretary Matt Hancock called a ‘perilous moment in the course of this pandemic’.
Health bosses have warned that rising infection rates, particularly in the North, risk an ‘implosion’ in NHS hospitals as winter sets in.
It’s believed ‘tier one’ areas with the lowest infection levels will only have to follow nationwide restrictions such as the rule of six and 10pm curfew.
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Tier two will include restrictions on socialising indoors with people from other households and potential bans on home visits.
Tier three measures for virus hotspots could include the complete closure of pubs, restaurants and cinemas as well as bans on overnight stays outside the home.
The shielding guidance is being considered for ‘tier three’ but may be delayed over fears of its impact on mental health, The Times added.
It was widely blamed for increases in depression and anxiety as well as difficulties accessing food and healthcare after it was introduced for the first time this spring.
Health bosses are busy revamping the scheme so that advice is fine-tuned according to different groups’ personal level of medical risk.
England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, yesterday said restrictions could be in place for another six months in the Midlands and the north of England.
Ministers have been warned the number of people in intensive care in the North could hit the peak seen in April by the start of next month.
Across the UK, 609 coronavirus patients were admitted to hospital on Thursday – an increase of one-fifth in the space of a day – while an additional 17,540 infections and 77 deaths were reported.
Katherine Henderson, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, warned the NHS could implode this winter unless ‘effective precautions’ are taken.
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