Breaking News UK: North East Lockdown Set to Come into Force on Friday

PUB curfews at 10pm and a ban on socialising with anyone from a different household are likely to be included in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19. It is understood that local lockdown-style restrictions, including a ban on socialising with anyone outside your household, are set to be imposed across the north east of England on Friday.

Restaurants and other licensed premises will also be included in the ban. The proposed plan is for measures to come into force just after midnight on Friday morning, September 18. It is hoped the new measures will halt the dramatic rise in infections across the region.

The cities of Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, County Durham and Sunderland are all expected to be included. No official announcement has yet been made about the plans, and nothing will be confirmed until a statement is issued by the Department for Health and Social Care.

A household only includes the people who you live with. Even close relatives count as a different household if they live in a different property. Pubs and other licensed premises will remain open, but guests will only be allowed to socialise with people from their own households, and they will have to close by 10pm.