By Jay Tavares
Household mixing is to be made illegal in any setting in the North East Of England will be tough but necessary.
The rule will apply to Northumberland, Newcastle, North and South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham. A social lockdown has also been imposed in Leeds. It comes after Matt Hancock said ‘The incident rate across the area is now over 100 cases per 100,000″.
“We know that a large number of these infections are taking place in indoor settings outside the home.
The radical move follows calls for tighter social restrictions in the events of further infections have been made. The rules would bring pressure on youngsters just starting university, but students are all advised to stick to the rules. They are necessary, to control the spread of the virus, but there are also questions as to how long rules that restrictive can be justified.
The rules are expected to last up to six months, but there are lobby groups hoping to get that period reduced.
Helen Whately told Sky News that “we don’t want to” bring in measures taking the UK back towards a second national lockdown but cautioned the government was keeping a “constant eye” on cases.
Measures reportedly being considered include more restrictions on people from different households meeting indoors, and shutting pubs and restaurants – initially for two weeks.
Under the plans schools, shops and offices will remain open. It quoted a senior government source as saying the nation and Conservative MPs weren’t “ready” for such action but it “will have to come”.
The announcement imposes fresh pressure on fresher students who normally begin the new semester with partying and celebrations. Those good times seem to be over before it started, and new students are going to have to settle for a less vibrant academic year to start their studies.
Whispers that tighter restrictions are about to sweep across the Uk. would impose a duty on university students to lead a very socially distanced life. Universities across the Uk are making provision for alternative social settings which are supervised and safe.
Some students maybe frustrated by the restrictions. and it is to be seen how they all adapt to it. Many students will adapt to the new rules, but there are already concerns that it could worsen the mental health conditions of other students.