Nearly a third of coronavirus infections in the UK are being spread in pubs, cafes and restaurants, ministers have warned.
Roughly 30% of cases are being contracted through ‘social interactions’ in these venues, according to evidence presented to MPs by England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty.
Revealing the figures to the BBC this morning, business minister Nadhim Zahawi said: ‘It is only right that we take action with the local leadership, with public health local teams, because they know their area best.’
It follows reports that pubs in northern England could be asked to close as early as next week under plans being drawn up by Boris Johnson.
Zahawi appeared to be referring to a briefing to 149 MPs last night, however the data reportedly comes from a sample of just 400 cases.
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The minister admitted that the rest of 2020 is ‘going to be a really tough year economically’ as more areas face the prospect of local lockdown restrictions.
He added: ‘The direction of travel is still positive, it’s still over 2% growth, but nevertheless many, many businesses, whether it’s hospitality and retail or aviation are struggling with coronavirus as are many other nations around the world.’
Today the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed the UK economy grew by 2.1% in August.
The rise in GDP was less than half of the 4.6% analysts were expecting and was a major slowdown from the 6.4% expansion in July.
More to follow.