More than a million people in South Yorkshire have woken up this morning in a tier three lockdown.
Some may be nursing sore heads after a final night out on the town before pubs and bars that don’t sell food were closed.
Sheffield and the surrounding areas have become the latest places to be subject to the strict new restrictions as more and more of the country shuts down.
It’s also the first full day of the Welsh ‘fire break’ lockdown and three more areas in England – Coventry, Stoke and Slough – have now moved into Tier 2, the second highest alert level.
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Despite the new rules looming, some still headed out for a Friday night on the town.
People were pictured congregating outside bars and venues and drinking on the streets.
Some Halloween revellers decided to mark the occasion by dressing up early as the night itself will now take place under lockdown.
Hospital staff in Doncaster urged people to follow the new rules and they revealed the reality of working on coronavirus wards.
A statement posted by the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals trust said its hospitals were now treating 161 patients after a steep rise in admissions. This is more than at any other point during the pandemic.
The age of patients ranged from 17 to 99, the trust said, and five more deaths were reported yesterday.
‘Moving into a state of “Very High Alert” means that we may be able to slowdown the current transmission rate, enabling us to safely deliver vital care and treatments for our patients,’ the statement continued.
‘We all appreciate that everyone is finding the situation very challenging but as a Trust we strongly believe that adhering to these enhanced measures is currently the best way to protect our communities.’
Sheffield City Region mayor Dan Jarvis has said he will not hesitate to seek additional Government support for the area.
Mr Jarvis said a £41 million funding package had been secured after a ‘tough’ process of negotiation and he had won an agreement from ministers to keep the situation under review.
‘The scale of the challenge is very significant,’ he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
‘We are acutely aware of the pressures our NHS is under, not least because winter hasn’t bitten yet, so we are looking very carefully at what we need to do.
‘But if there is a requirement for more resource – whether it is economic support or it is other measures of assistance from the Government – I won’t hesitate to go back and ask for them.’
South Yorkshire has joined the Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester and Lancashire on the highest alert level for England.
Meanwhile, talks were continuing between the Government and local leaders in Nottinghamshire, with parts of the county expected to enter Tier 3 on Wednesday.
And the council in Warrington in Cheshire – where many residents commute to Manchester and Liverpool – has confirmed that it will be moving to Tier 3 on Thursday.
Along with pub closures, the rules prevent households from mixing except in parks and other open spaces.
Sheffield’s current infection rate is 424.9 per 100,000 people for the week up to October 19, which is slightly lower than the previous week.
But Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster’s rates have all soared to 489.7, 414.5 and 397.3 respectively.
Mr Jarvis has previously written an open letter to residents in which he acknowledged many people would find the return stricter rules ‘deeply frustrating’ and would fear for their futures and their livelihoods.
But, he said the tougher measures were necessary as infection rates continued to rise.
‘The scientific advice is that they can help. We still have a difficult path ahead, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel,’ he said. ‘These restrictions will help us reach it sooner, and at a lower cost.’
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