By Ben Kerrigan-
An estimated 1.4 million people in South Yorkshire will be subjected to England’s toughest coronavirus restrictions, mayor Dan Jarvis has announced.
The move to Tier 3 will affect Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, coming into force from 12.01 am on Saturday. Residents in those areas will not be able to mix with people from other households, indoors or outdoors
The news comes as local leaders secured £41m of funding from the government to “support our people and businesses” hit by the change that will particularly affect hospitality workers and taxi drivers.
A social distancing sign in Sheffield, after a range of new restrictions to combat the rise in coronavirus cases came into place in England.
He said that “while infection rates vary” across South Yorkshire, “collective action was the only practical choice to keep everyone in our region safe”.
And Mr Jarvis added that “the number of people with COVID in our hospitals has doubled over the last ten days, with no signs this will relent over the coming weeks” so “inaction was not an option”.
He promised that if the new restrictions work, individual councils will be able to move to lower alert levels and have restrictions eased “as soon as it is safe to do so”.
Ros Jones, the mayor of Doncaster, said she understood the concerns of residents and companies, but cautioned: “There is an undeniable truth in that our infection rates are spiralling upwards.”
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said “swift action” needed to be taken as South Yorkshire’s coronavirus rates are “amongst the highest in the country”.
And he insisted the new measures “will only be in place for as long as they are absolutely necessary”, reviewed in four weeks’ time.
He said: “The government need to understand that people will continue to observe the rules as long as they feel that what is being proposed is not just reactive, but part of a longer term strategy to defeat the virus.
“How the Tier 3 restrictions fit into that strategy needs careful, constant and consistent explanation.”.