Covid restrictions on North East England announced

Areas of the North East (Northumberland, Newcastle, Sunderland, South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Gateshead and County Durham) have today (Thursday 17 September) been escalated to areas of intervention.

From Friday 18 September, regulations will ban the following:

  • residents must not socialise with other people outside of their own households or support bubble in private homes and gardens
  • hospitality for food and drink will be restricted to table service only
  • late night restriction of operating hours will be introduced, with leisure and entertainment venues required to close between 10pm to 5am

Residents are also advised to adhere to the following guidance to further reduce rates of infection:

  • not to socialise with other people outside of their own households in all public venues
  • only to use public transport for essential purposes, such as travelling to school or work
  • take holidays only within your own household or support bubble
  • avoid attending amateur and semi-professional sporting events as spectators

Sarah Green, Chief Executive of NewcastleGateshead Initiative, commented: “We support the extra measures requested by North East local authorities and announced today by government as a means of addressing the rising infection rate in the region. In particular, we welcome the pro-active approach taken which aims to avoid full lockdown and the significant social and economic implications this would bring.

“The key principle underpinning these restrictions is the importance of maintaining social distancing and operating in line with Covid guidelines. Significant numbers of businesses in NewcastleGateshead have adapted their business models to ensure safety – in particular over 1,000 businesses in the North East have achieved VisitBritain’s ‘We’re Good To Go’ accreditation and we encourage everyone to check for this accreditation at goodtogo.visitbritain.com/discover to give visitors reassurance.

“It needs to be recognised that these further restrictions will impact on the economic viability of the region’s tourism and hospitality sector and we continue to call for an ongoing package of support to ensure these businesses remain viable during this very challenging period.

“We will continue to work with local authorities, stakeholders and the North East tourism industry in the coming months, providing advice and guidance on changing restrictions and signposting to available and up-to-date support.”

Useful links

Download FAQs on the new restrictions compiled by Newcastle City Council

Read press release from Department of Health and Social Care