London will go back into coronavirus lockdown from midnight Friday, with household mixing banned
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- London is going back into coronavirus lockdown from midnight Friday.
- The government announced the news to the English capital's MPs on Thursday morning.
- The government is expected to confirm the news to parliament later on Thursday.
- Household mixing will be banned indoors when the UK capital is moved into the 'high' tier of restrictions.
- Mayor Sadiq Khan had been pushing for the city to be moved from "medium" to "high" amid growing infection rates.
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Household mixing will be banned in London as of midnight on Friday, after Boris Johnson's UK government said that rising levels of infections in the UK capital meant it must be moved into the "high" COVID-19 tier of restrictions.
As of midnight Friday, Londoners will be prohibited from mixing with other households in homes and other indoor settings, including hospitality venues, after the UK government agreed with London mayor Sadiq Khan that the city required tougher restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
UK health minister Helen Whateley announced the news to London members of Parliament in a call on Thursday morning, with Prime Minister Johnson expected to confirm it in a statement later in the day.
People in the capital will be allowed to continue visiting pubs, bars, and restaurants, but only with people from the same household.
Khan has been pushing for London's alert status to changed from "medium" to "high" and had a meeting with UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty on Wednesday.
London was put in the least serious category — "medium" — when Prime Minister Johnson unveiled the government's new tiered system for enforcing local lockdowns earlier this week.
However, while the number of infections and hospitalizations in the capital is not as high as in the north of England, they have been growing exponentially with Khan this week warning that the virus was spreading "so quickly." The move will affect around 9 million people who live in the capital.
The UK government is also expected to move Greater Manchester and Lancashire into the most serious tier — "very high" — as the number of coronavirus cases in the north of England continues to rise.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/378CRFG
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