South Yorkshire looks set to be placed under tier three coronavirus restrictions, with an announcement expected this morning.
Minister Robert Jenrick said the government was ‘on the cusp’ of an agreement with the area and that the plan would be laid out ‘very shortly’. The Communities Secretary said ‘productive’ conversations had taken place with the Labour Mayor of Sheffield, Dan Jarvis.
‘Those discussions are coming to a conclusion this morning, I hope’, he said.
Mr Jarvis tweeted on Monday night that he was ready to work with the Government but it had not yet offered enough support.
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It comes after Greater Manchester’s Mayor, Andy Burnham, was told his region would be put under the same ‘very high’ restrictions yesterday – as talks over funding dramatically collapsed.
Asked about whether Sheffield and South Yorkshire would be going into tier 3, Mr Jenrick told Sky News: ‘It’s not right for me to pre-empt a full statement that the Prime Minister and Dan Jarvis will make later today.
‘But we have had very successful conversations with him and with the leaders of South Yorkshire.
‘Again there’s a serious situation there, and rightly they wanted to take action.
‘We’ve discussed that over the course of yesterday and early this morning and an announcement will be made shortly.’
A spokesman for the Sheffield City Region said on Tuesday evening: ‘Mayor Dan Jarvis, the leaders of South Yorkshire’s local authorities and the Government have been in extensive and constructive talks over the coronavirus alert level for the region.
‘These talks continue as all sides seek to agree a plan which will protect lives, jobs and our NHS.’
Case rates have recently fallen in Sheffield, but remain high.
According to figures calculated by the PA news agency on Tuesday, the city recorded 2,375 new cases in the previous seven days, compared with 2,729 the week before. That translates into 406.1 cases per 100,000 people – down from 466.6.
Other regions known to be in discussions with the Government about being moved into tier three include the North East, West Yorkshire, Teeside and Nottinghamshire.
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