UK cities chafe at 3-level lockdown plan

British government is set to anunce new restrictions Monday on business and socializing in major rrn England cities with high infection rates. But pubs, restaurants and or businesses are pushing back, arguing that y are t to blame for a resurgent outbreak.

Local authorities in hard-hit cities including Liverpool and Manchester are seeking financial support for businesses that are ordered to close, and details of an exit strategy from local lockdowns.

After falling in summer, coronavirus cases are on rise in U.K. as winter approaches. Under new measures, areas of England will be placed in “tiers,” classing m as at medium, high or very high risk, and placed under restrictions of varying severity.

Liverpool mayor Steve Roram said his city was to be placed in highest category.

“We were told we were going into Tier 3 — ifs, buts,” he said.

Roram, mayor of greater Liverpool region in rthwest England, said local officials have t yet agreed with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government what exact restrictions will be.

Businesses including gyms and pubs are expected to be shut, but restaurants are lobbying to be allowed to remain open. Roram said cities also wanted to kw what exit strategy would be from measures, which are set to be reviewed after a month.

He said local authorities want “some surety from national government that if we hit some of milestones we can come out of Tier 3 very quickly.”

Liverpool has one of country’s highest levels of infection, with more than 600 cases per 100,000 people.

Bar and restaurant owners have questioned wher y are major sources of transmission, and say government has t shared evidence to back up claim.

Manchester City Council leer Richard Leese said data from city’s public health officials “seems to demonstrate that re is t a particular connection between bars and restaurants and transmission of COVID.”

But Calum Semple, professor of outbreak medicine at University of Liverpool and a member of government’s Scientific visory Group for Emergencies, said “most of outbreaks are happening within and between households and n after that, it’s in retail and hospitality sector.”

“Alcohol and people’s behaviour are well kwn to be factors that result in relaxation of one’s herence to regulations, let’s put it politely,” Semple told BBC. “And so I can understand why this move is happening.”

government has anunced a support pack to pay two-thirds of salaries of employees of companies that are told to close, but many in pub and restaurant sector say that is t eugh to save alrey struggling businesses.

England is alrey under national restrictions including a 10 p.m. curfew on pubs and restaurants and a ban on more than six people garing. Some areas have tougher measures, such as a ban on households mixing. rest of U.K. is under similar, and sometimes tougher, restrictions. In Scotland’s two biggest cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh, pubs have been closed for 16 days to suppress outbreak.

Without even more action, re are fears that U.K. hospitals will be overwhelmed in coming weeks at a time of year when y are alrey at ir busiest with flu and or winter illnesses. U.K. has experienced Europe’s deliest outbreak, with an official death toll of 42,825. ___

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