Robert Peston Robert Peston

England’s new lockdown regime

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These are the measures to be announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson at his 5 p.m. press conference, as I understand it. They will last until 2 December. And they are, in effect, a new ‘Tier 4’ that will be imposed for a month – initially to the whole of England – in a bid to curb a rise in coronavirus cases.

All pubs and restaurants are to close, though takeaways and deliveries will be permitted. All non-essential retail will close, though supermarkets won’t have to follow the Welsh example of fencing off non-essential goods. There will be no mixing of people inside homes, except for childcare and other forms of support. Manufacturing and construction will be encouraged to keep going. 

Outbound international travel will be banned, except for work. Travel within the UK will be discouraged, except for work. Overnight stays away from home will be allowed only for work purposes, Courts, schools, and universities will remain open.

Robert Peston
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Robert Peston
Robert Peston is Political Editor of ITV News and host of the weekly political discussion show Peston. His articles originally appeared on his ITV News blog.

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